


Hellmouth Wars: Lost and Found

by WynnaPendragon



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Amnesia, M/M, Slight OOC, Star Wars Fusion, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21880978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WynnaPendragon/pseuds/WynnaPendragon
Summary: Set 5 years after 'Not Fade Away'. Two Jedi are charged with a mission, the gang meets up with a 'fallen' hero, and the sith come to join the party.
Relationships: Xander Harris/Spike
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. A Long Time Ago, in a land far, far away...

**Author's Note:**

> **This is being heavily re-edited, because there was something wrong with it that I couldn’t suss out. But no worries! Im fixing it so bear with me.** Cross posted from live journal. I guess I must have abandoned this but I have recently been power watching Buffy again with a friend and still love Star Wars so I wanted to bring it to ao3. 
> 
> Obligatory Disclaimer: Do not own, if I did it would be put on HBO and the boys would do some heckin’ naughty things.

Dawn had just begun to lighten the Temple Gardens, the golden beams gilded the many flora and awakening the assorted fauna to delight the fresh crisp air with their morning song. The air was slightly chilly, and carried a gentle bite to refresh and rejuvenate the visitors. The emerald green grass was soft and springy, muffling the Jedi Master’s footsteps as he went to join his padawan's morning ritual of greeting the dawn. Either it was intense meditation to commune with the Force around him, or he was just enjoying the few moments of quiet that the gentle dawn brought. 

As the Jedi Master approached the quiet glade in which he always found his padawan every morning, he marveled at the changes his charge under-went from just a night's rest alone. Lines of fatigue and stress had already begun to fade into a smooth, marble-like complexion. The gray pallor had reverted back to its usual porcelain, practically gleaming in the sunlight. Which was oddly disconcerting as he remembered how a stray sunbeam had literally lit his charge on fire when they first met. Through rigorous training, and no limit of stubbornness, his padawan was able to create a short of force shield to protect himself from the devastating rays. Now at any time during the day, he would witness his padawan basking in sun rays. The Jedi Master conceded it was a rather strange quirk to develop, and he knew he overindulged his padawan this. He was in fact admonished about it by other masters and the Council, but by taking his padawan's previous history into account he could not begrudge him this one indulgence. 

In all other aspects of his training however, his padawan surpassed most at his level; it seemed as though he had a mind built for knowledge, and would keep studying until most couldn't see straight, which was a trait the master at one point became very concerned about and had soon figured out that his padawan was not a normal sleeper. He could grasp many of the difficult lightsaber forms with the ease of a finely-tuned, and battle-honed warrior who only needed to be shown once. The perfect concentration and determination he exuded in his lightsaber training was very compelling to watch. 

His padawan understood the Jedi Code, more so than most, whether it was due to his past or his unusual maturity, although his almost constant probing into the _whys_ and _shoulds_ and _shouldn’t be’s_ was a point of contention between them both; he used the force with the respect and awe it deserved, as if he had encountered this kind of power before. There was no doubt in the master's mind that there was more to his padawan than was first apparent, even after the ten years they had spent together. Yes, he would be a great jedi knight one day, the master knew. The only problem was--at this the master frowned. 

The problem was that even though there was no doubt in the master's mind that his padawan would be a knight, the other man was the only roadblock in that endeavor. He believed in the Jedi, their code, and the force; but it was the simple fact that his padawan did not believe in himself, that his padawan can, will, and has done great good in the universe. Some had said it was great humility, but one had to believe and trust in oneself to live in this vast galaxy and do battle with the many hardships one was faced with everyday, faith could help only so much. That truth the master would take to his grave. 

He could see so much of his younger self in his padawan, the need for approval, to do better and better. It was a good thing to see, the drive to succeed, but it had the potential to cause detrimental damage if left unchecked. In fact, it would have been addressed earlier in his life, but just like his master, he was not raised in the Jedi Temple. The master nodded, it would take time for his padawan to come into his own, and hopefully the mission they were about to embark on would be the first steps of achieving that goal.

The master was chagrined to find out he had been standing...staring... for the better part of fifteen minutes and not realizing. His padawan grinned, eyes closed as he finished his meditation, "Your thoughts are insistent today. Something you need to...get off your chest?”

The master rolled his eyes at the seemingly natural innuendo and knelt across from his ward, "I was approached by the Council today, we are charged with another mission."

His padawan opened his eyes, brow furrowed, "So soon?"

"Our lives are not our own, Will. It seems as though there are great forces at work that need our attention. Tell me, are you up to it?"

"If that's a way of asking how I’m _feeling_ ” he grumbled with obvious distaste then rolled his shoulders, “..I’m alright, master. I didn’t realize how much a toll the past few weeks have taken on me until we came back here. I hope the Council isn’t,” he coughed discreetly, “ _displeased_ with my performance."

The master snorted, "If the Council is displeased, they can just be displeased. You have done fine, I could not ask for anything better from you. The years have been kind to me, I have a student that does not turn me prematurely gray."

His padawan smirked slightly, “‘S what is the mission, master? I’m sensing a disturbance in the force."

"Its complicated padawan. We are going to Terra."


	2. Chapter 2

_Everything he had ever worked for; redemption, acceptance, love... had all come to this._

_Dying in an alley._

_He awoke amid a pile of bodies, the rain pouring from above soaking into the heap, a heartless attempt to wash away the blood and gore. Nothing the powers did would make this city clean again, the filth eating away at your soul until you were nothing but a useless shell of what you once were... like these remains._

_He crawled his way out of the pile, the pain in his skull making his vision hazy. His body felt sluggish and cold, his will to live slowly fading._

_As he tried to move away from the heap, his body froze. Grunting sounds from up ahead were getting closer, feet stomping steadily to the mouth of the alley. He stumbled towards the pile and flopped bonelessly, affecting the look of a corpse. He landed in the open chest cavity of something that usually smelled worse alive than dead. He closed his eyes, not just to pretend, but to block the image of the creature's insides he was residing in._

_They came ever closer, communicating to each other in a series of squeals and grunts. To his dismay, they started to sift through the bodies, finding the few survivors smart enough not to move...to pretend...._

_Smart enough to do the same thing he was doing._

_His eyes popped open; he threw himself out of the body, making a break for the alley opening. He only go two stumbling steps before he felt arms as hard as steel grab his arms, holding him in place. He took one last look at his only way out of this hell; his eyes widened as he saw the edge of a black leather coat disappear around the wall._

_He gathered his last breath into his lungs to scream, "A-_

-ng-” Will’s choked off yell tapered off as he awoke from the same nightmare that had plagued him night after night for ten years. It was his only truly detailed memory he had since he woke up in a Gamorrean slave ship, and no amount of meditating would help him figure out anything more besides flashes. He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he brought a hand to wipe the cold sweat off his face. The bright bedside lamplight stabbed into his sensitive eyes, "Lights dim."

The lights dimmed to a faint glow, illuminating the spartan decor of his quarters, next to his master's. A bed, a table with his lightsaber resting on it, and a closet sparingly furnished with the sacred robes of the Jedi. 

He could not ask for anything more without feeling slightly guilty.

Well in all honesty he could, but where would one find a willing body to cuddle that wasn’t his master and wouldn’t incite the discipline of the Council? He rolled his eyes, he didn’t believe in that extreme of a monkish lifestyle, and he honestly thought that no one should have to live without the comfort of others. He sighed as he was filled with waves of doubt and guilt, his body filling with angry tension because of what the Jedi Council ruled. He knew these were dangerous thoughts and unbecoming of what they perceived how the Jedi were supposed to be.

These thoughts were going to plague him until he had a chance to meditate and let the negativity disperse. He already knew it was going to be a very long day ahead as he stepped out of bed, his light sleeping pants barely keeping him from the chill of the night air. Padding to the closet, he took out a dark, soft tunic and wrapped it around his rangy frame while stepping out of his rooms; the lights from the great city outside illuminated their outer rooms in a faint, rosy glow.

It was silent; he could barely hear his master breathing softly in his rooms, fast asleep. Without concentrating however, he could hear the sounds of Coruscant, the city that never slept. He grinned at that thought; he barely slept enough as it is. 

He shuffled his way out to the balcony, looking out at all the lights and stars, watching as ships docked to various landing pads. He folded his arms, his thoughts returning to the dream, as it always does in the quiet hours before his master roused. 

The life he knew with the Jedi, the things he had done while in their service, the places they had visited, the people he had met and saved...

He would not trade that for anything.

However, he couldn’t help but wonder why he had not heard of anyone trying to find him. Traveling with his master, he met many different kinds of people from all walks of the universe, and if anyone was tailing a Jedi, even a training one, he was bound to be notified. He wondered what sort of person he was before, what sort of people he knew, and what he did to end up where he was now.

What was in his past that made him so alone in the beginning?

"You had the dream again?"

Will jumped as he was startled out of his reverie by the question. He turned to see his master standing in the doorway of the balcony, his shaggy hair mussed from sleep. He too was wearing a loose tunic and light sleep pants, scratching at the stubble on his jaw. They were never able to sleep while the other was awake, a testimony of their close relationship. His master always commented that Will’s mind was too loud and insistent to be able to have a normal night’s sleep and Will insisted that he couldn’t rest with his master’s snoring.

Will hid his grin behind his hand, faking a yawn, "Yeah well, when your mind is on a constant buggering loop around one living memory, It’s bound to drive you barmy." He sighed, "Sorry, master. It was... so vivid this time. I could feel everything, I was reliving every moment as if it was happening all over again."

"Hopefully once we reach Terra you will not have to wonder for long," the master walked to stand beside Will, resting his elbows against the railing. "Something is bound to jog your memory there." It seemed as though his master was going to say something else, but stopped himself, looking down at the traffic whizzing by below.

Will's brow furrowed, "Master-"

"I'm sorry, Padawan."

"For what? Is something wrong?"

His master turned around to face him, his back resting against the banister, his face drawn, "I am sorry that we never went there before...Terra, I mean. I-"

"You don't have to explain anything to me, you know. I understand-"

"No," He shook his head, "You don't understand at all." He wiped his face tiredly with his hand, "You don't remember what I saw when we first met." He looked around them helplessly, as if he too was reliving the past, "You were...broken, Will. There was no fight left in you, and when I came on board that ship..." He looked up, anger simmered in his blue eyes, "You begged for me to kill you."

Will looked away; there was nothing he could say in response to that, "I don't-" He stopped as he felt his master's hand on his arm. He turned to see him looking apologetically at him.

"I am sorry for bringing this up now, Will. When the Council told me our next mission, I...was concerned. For you."

"Why?"

He looked out again at the cityscape, "That place, Will, your homeworld...It did something to you. It seeped its way into your soul... we had a difficult time bringing you back from that. I just...didn't want that to happen again."

"Was it really as bad as all that?"

His master snorted, "It has been ten years that we have been traveling together, and not once have we gone back to your homeworld. You tell me." He sighed, "I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later, I just did not think time would fly by so fast."

Will grinned as he joined his master at the banister, "Speaking of time, how long do we have before we must ship out again?"

The master yawned, "In a few hours actually. We need to be briefed by the Council first thing, that should take a bit, then we will be leaving on the Endeavor."

"I do so love that ship," Will mused, "So many memories..."

He snorted, "I am surprised that it is still functional, after that stunt you pulled last time."

"You planned it."

"Merely a suggestion."

There was a pause; the only sound was of the various noises that was the nightlife of Coruscant. 

"Are we going to talk about it?" Will asked softly.

He sighed, seemingly frustrated, "You know I cannot tell you much. The Council barely spoke of it to me, just told me our destination."

"I know you," Will faced him exasperated, "You would not have just left it at that, considering your feelings of that place. Be honest, how dangerous?"

"It’s not like our mission to Kashykk." He supplied.

"You're hedging."

His master glared at him in mock-anger, "There's nothing more I can say about it. Besides, we will be given more information in a few hours anyway. What have I told you about patience?"

"That I have none."

He cocked his head, "That much is true." He said ruefully. He stretched his arms slowly above his head, giving a slight shudder, "I am getting old."

Will snorted, "Not so master, you are barely thirty-five. You will live on to annoy many more padawans."

His master shook his head in defeat, "No respect...No respect at all..."

* * *

Will found it most difficult to concentrate.

Usually he was able to find his center, able to reach that tiny spark within himself to commune with the Force. When he was most relaxed and content that spark was bigger, it reached for him as quickly as he called to the force. Being the living dead he never thought he could call to it as easily as the others. He felt so separate from everyone: he was too different, too wild, to abnormal. The Council, a handful of masters, knights, padawans, even most of the younglings has difficulty marrying the thought of someone who was once dead being among them and thriving within the Force. 

He breathed out slowly, letting the negative emotions out with the useless air. Breathing in the scent of the surrounding flowers and earthy plants, he could feel himself relaxing. He felt himself sinking deeper into that peace that once felt completely out of reach. 

He let go of his unease, either the day was going to go smoothly or it wouldn’t and no amount of preemptive upset would change anything. Letting go of his doubts, he proceeded to draw the Force around himself, feeling that protective shield wrap around his body just before the first rays of dawn filtered through the leaves of the trees he was sheltered under. 

The sun was so warm, and he knew that when he had his memory back it would feel more than just a novel experience being able to walk in daylight. The shield was one of the hardest things he needed to master, and something he was truly fearful of losing if he ever remembered who he was. 

If he could only have the daylight for the ten years he’d served under Master Fiori, then at least he would be able to look back on his training years with happiness instead of a lifetime of doubt and pain.

* * *

"Jedi Master Wyn-Udiin Fiori, Senior Padawan Will, the Council is ready to see you now." The two Jedi nodded at the robed woman, following her into the circular room that housed the Jedi Council. They bowed to the assembled masters as they reached the center of the freed space that their seating formed. There was something about this room, these people, reminded Will of something, he just couldn't figure out what it was. Nevertheless, that niggling thought made him itch with irritation that had to be quickly quelled before the other assembled masters could catch on.

"Master Fiori, it has been some time since you have visited us," one of the masters intoned. "We trust all went well on your last mission?"

He saw Will’s face freeze, none of the other masters could see, but because of so much time they had spent together, he knew he was going to hear Will’s voice in his head in a few seconds, _”Why all the pleasantries? Get on with it!"_

He nearly chuckled, not nearly half a second, he thought to Will, _”Patience, Padawan."_ He had never felt as deep a bond as he had with his padawan, not even with his own master. They got along so well with each other, which made Wyn grateful enough, but when he started feeling his padawan’s emotions early in their partnership, he was concerned. After hearing from the Council that to feel one another’s emotions, hear one another’s thoughts, and to speak in each other’s minds was proof of a deep Jedi bond, Wyn was astounded. He never believed he would ever meet someone as extraordinary as Will, and never believed he would ever achieve something as great as this. "With the exception of a few minor injuries, all went well. The refugees were successfully transported to Taris; their republic papers and mission statements will reach the senate in a few days' time." Master Fiori addressed the Council with his usual aplomb, "There was one reported death. A distressed refugee took his own life just before we arrived, we examined the body, but there was nothing we could do. His body is housed in the morgue of the health center in Taris, the family has been notified."

 _"Didn't you go over this with them yesterday?"_ He could feel his padawan's confusion in the question.

_"We talked...about other things. I will tell you in a bit, once we are on the ship."_

Jedi Master Merue, the head of the council, nodded, "And what of you Padawan Will? How fare you?"

"I am well, master," Will reported. “The healers stopped the bleeding fairly quickly. There were others that needed their help more than I."

"We were concerned when you stepped off the landing pad. You could barely walk without assistance."

Will smirked, "As you can see," He turned around in a circle, "I am whole and well. No need for concern."

_"Padawan..."_

_"What? I grew tired of their dithering."_

_"You really need to treat the Council with some respect, they are your superiors. They have their own way of going about things-"_

_"And we should play along, I know. I'm just-"_

_"Anxious, yes, but you should not let that control you, Padawan. Experience your emotions, learn from them, then let them go. We will talk about this, after the meeting."_

"Master Fiori?"

He shook himself, "Yes masters, forgive my inattention."

Jedi Master Merue nodded, "Your next mission is to the planet Terra. We have reason to believe that it is rife with the force, however, it is tainted by a great evil..."

At this, Will felt a bone-deep chill, as if there was a great tremor in the force, one of the greatest disturbances he had ever felt. He shivered as he remembered something, a great cavern filled with twisted bodies and the smell of brimstone. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw his master shoot him a concerned look out of the corner of his eye. _”You feel it too, don't you master?"_

He saw his master nod slightly, partly to what the council was explaining and partly to his thought. “We will treat this mission with the utmost caution, masters."

"We trust that you will, be sure to keep us abreast of the situations as they come. May the force be with you."

The two Jedi nodded, and left the Council room. As the door whooshed shut behind them, Will let out an unneeded gust of air, "I never get used to going in there." They started to go to the landing platform, they were to leave immediately.

Master Wyn smiled, "You will get used to it in time. How are you feeling though, really?"

Will's lips thinned, "Confused, anxious, scared, excited…worried mostly though."

"What are you worried about?"

Will rolled his head on his shoulders, hearing a resounding crack, relieving tension, "That's better. I'm worried what we will find there, what I am going back to...who I'm going back to."

Master Wyn nodded, "I understand perfectly, Will. It is natural to feel that way, but don't-"

"-let it cloud my judgment," Will laughed at the dismayed look on his master's face, laughing as they stepped into an elevator, "You know we spend way too much time together. You need to get out more, master. Ya know, do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight."

The Jedi Master turned and faced his padawan, a bewildered look on his face, "What are you going on about?"

Will looked surprised as well, "I don't really know. Just popped into my head."

Wyn laughed, "Something tells me this isn't just going to be a normal, everyday, hum-drum mission."

Will shook his head, "The strange things you say."

There was a pause, then they turned as one and shared a look.  
* * *

"I'm telling you," Andrew said, frustrated, "The original trilogy was the only trilogy!"

"And all I'm saying is," Xander retorted, rolling his eye, "That the prequel trilogy was just a broad overview of the past, it’s not meant as gospel. There would be no way that they would be able to fit all the Clone Wars in Episode 2, physically impossible."

"Yes but the 'prequel' as you call it was almost entirely CG! The original trilogy was awesome because they did the best they could with what they had for the special effects. That's why the new episodes sucked; they did it mostly in front of a green screen."

Xander snorted, "Yeah you are right about the computer graphics, but honestly, can't you just sit back and enjoy the storyline?"

Andrew shook his head, "Can't, not with Manikin Skywalker stomping around like a whiney baby."

Xander jumped out of his seat in outrage, ready to defend the young actor when they were interrupted by a young slayer walking into the control room, "I'm sorry guys, but Miss Summers and Mister Giles need the both of you in the library."

Xander pointed a finger at Andrew, "This ain't over yet."

Andrew smiled, "You're on." It didn't take them too long to get to the library wing, jogging up two flights of stairs that left Andrew wheezing as they got to their destination.

They approached the library, and opened the doors quietly. Why? Xander didn't know, maybe it was a leftover courtesy from high school, but he always associated libraries with an almost church-type quiet. Strange way to think about it, but there wasn't much else he could do with his free-time. 

As they stepped through the doorway, they were met with a bored slayer, an irritated watcher, and a library table strewn with open texts. All in all, it just seemed like any other Scooby meeting, only different surroundings of course. After five years of living in a castle in Scotland, he figured he would be used to everything by now, but then again, he is living in a freaking castle. In Scotland. 

"So what's up?" Asked Xander, walking up to the table and fingering a page from one of the texts littering the table in front of him. Giles shot him a look that clearly said 'Don't touch that, its older and more expensive than you', and said, "We have reason to believe there will be yet another apocalypse."

Xander let out a breath in exasperation, reaching into his pocket and fishing out a twenty, passing it to Andrew who crowed in delight, "Ha ha! I knew it! My powers are developing nicely!"

Xander rolled his eye as he looked back at his two long-time companions, "What are we dealing with here?"

The older watcher gently picked up the volume he was examining and stood next to Xander, "This text tells of, I would say, a vision or prophecy that was foretold long ago by a group of monks-"

"Why is it always monks?"

"Because they want to drive me insane,” Buffy said disinterestedly, "What was foretold? A big-ass hell-god looking for a way to get back to its hell dimension? Oh wait, that already happened."

"A group of monks," Giles looked pointedly at Buffy, "That fought the forces of darkness, like the slayers or watchers."

"Like spiritual demon-fighters?" Xander's brow furrowed.

"Not just demon fighters, they were very exceptional." Giles set down the book, walked over to another one, and brought it to Xander, who took it with the same amount of reverence that the older man did. "They were stalwart, clever, and pious. They had some kind of connection to the Higher Powers, able to do things that normal demon-hunters could not even dream of. They traveled the world, fighting evil; through their travels they were able to find others just like them, brought them to their temples, and trained them in their ways."

"Like the Jedi?" Supplied Andrew. As one, Buffy, Xander and Giles turned their heads to stare in disbelief at him. "What?"

"You know,” Xander said in awe, "that actually makes sense."

"That doesn't make any sense at all!" Buffy walked to Xander to see the book, "Jedi are make-believe. It’s just a movie, there's no way that-"

"Actually," interrupted Andrew. "I have heard tell of an ancient group similar to the Jedi. There was a small temple that was unearthed in Australia, I took the liberty to go and see it on my last mission, after I sent the slayer back here of course," he said after receiving a look from Giles. "The markings on the walls, the floors, the main room, all were indicative to Lucas' scenery of the Jedi Council rooms. Granted, his story took place in space; some of their beliefs may have been different, I didn't get much time to explore, but all were reminiscent to the Jedi. Even the sleeping quarters, some were a little larger, meant for the master, with a smaller room offset from the main living quarters, meant for the apprentice. Also there were rooms that had a series of 'bunks' set into the wall, meaning these were for the apprentices who were not selected by a master yet."

"That was," Giles blinked, "very informative. Why haven't you supplied us with this information before?"

Andrew shrugged, "I just got back. Also, everyone seemed to be a bit busy what with the thwarting of apocalypses...I figured that no one would wanna hear-"

"We do want to hear about these things, Andrew." Xander put a hand on his shoulder, "Just because you think it’s too nerdy does not mean that it’s something you shouldn't let us know about. Do you think we would have hung around Giles so much otherwise?"

Giles glared at him, then faced Andrew, "Ancient groups and themes are always prominent in pop-culture references, Andrew, whether on purpose or by a fortunate accident. It helps that you took it upon yourself to investigate the temple, would you remember where it was perhaps?"

He bounced, "Yeah! Luckily I had my map with me; I marked it before I had to leave."

"The authorities?" Asked Giles.

"Didn't know I was there actually, I snuck in after them, they went really far in, and after a while I couldn't hear them talking. I just happened to look at my watch and realized I was going to be late for my plane if I didn't get a move on. Wanted to take some pictures but," he shrugged, "No time."

"Remind me to supply you with a digital camera on your next mission, there's no telling what you will find."

Xander smirked, "Yeah, Indy's found something at almost every place he's been sent to. I bet Spike would have got a kick out of this, Indiana Jones was one of his favorite movies." 

Andrew chuckled nervously, "Yeah." He still didn't tell them about Spike, and wasn't planning on it. Even after five years, he kept his promise to the attractive vampire, out of some kind of loyalty, he didn't know. He felt horrible after they lost all connection to Angel's group soon after the two vampires met up with him in Italy, when he gave them the information about who they thought was Buffy, in reality she was one of the three decoys they deployed after Buffy started receiving death threats. It was one of Xander’s Golden Moments, of which he had many over the years. Later Andrew was told that he disappeared after the battle that went down, by Angel of all people, the battle that had killed Angel’s right hand, Wesley. He showed up in Scotland a couple days after the brawl, he looked...Lost, would have been Andrew's opinion. Buffy and him talked, worked out some things, and are now working together, to the chagrin of the existing Scooby Gang. Funnily enough, Xander didn't bat an eyelash. Maybe since he had turned thirty, a kind of maturity stopped him from saying anything. Maybe it was because they could all see the change in Angel; he seemed like all those people he tried to save, needing some kind of guidance after the fall. 

Andrew didn't really care one way or another honestly. He didn't really connect with Angel, wasn't there in the beginning to form any kind of opinion of the vampire. The only opinion he had of him was...well, no use in speaking ill of the dead and all that. Andrew giggled at his own thought.

"What?"

Andrew's head pooped up to see everyone staring at him, "Huh?"

Xander put a hand over his mouth to hold in his laughter, shoulders shaking in the effort, Giles brow furrowed, "I asked you what was so funny?"

"Oh," Andrew nodded, "Sorry, random thought."

Giles brow cocked, he always wanted to know how to do that, maybe it was just a British thing, "I was explaining the prophecy, or vision."

"You don't know which?"

"Well," Giles started, "There is no record of the foretelling of prophecies in this culture, some are fleeting visions of the foreseeable future, not necessarily will come to pass."

"Then why are we even bothering with this?" Buffy asked.

"Because of the importance of the vision Buffy, there is mention of a Hellmouth."

"Yeah the one we closed, and the one in Cincinnati." She supplied.

Giles lips thinned, "There are more than one Buffy. This vision foretells of the opening of all of them. Around the World."

"Aren't all of them open kinda?"

"Not so." He shook his head, "Some of them are active, some are dormant, but still demons and what have you, gravitate to them. I would say that the places that we have been picking up the new slayers, are hellmouths." 

"Which explains a lot, if you think about it," said Xander. "Take all the crap that's going on in Africa. I mean, I found a couple of new slayers just last week, not to mention when we first started. More are awakening every day. Maybe this is the powers way of getting us ready for whatever is happening in the vision."

Giles nodded, "You have a point there Xander. This must be something big."

"Sunnydale big?" Buffy questioned quietly.

"Possibly," Giles answered just as quietly.

"So what does the vision tell us?"

Giles looked down, eyes narrowing, "It is written very strangely… I can pick out some markings. It mentions the hellmouths around the world...our warriors not enough...two champions..." He set the book down, pinching the bridge of his nose, "It’s no use, I don't understand the writing. We need someone who could possibly read this better than I."

Xander patted his shoulder, "We'll figure it out Giles. We have some contacts we could use. Don't worry."

"I hope we can decipher this in time."  
* * *

The Endeavor gleamed softly in the early light of dawn, and as the two Jedi approached the landing platform, the exit ramp slowly descended. At Will’s look, his master grinned and motioned to the ship. As Will turned back, he smiled as he recognized the golden bullet hurtling towards them, Freya Yao. She was a golden-hued Twi'lek, nearing her twentieth year, and a joy to be around. She was found on the planet Corellia by Will and his master, it was clear that she was a strong force-adept, and was brought back to Coruscant. She was then quickly snatched up by a visiting master, Roben Drae; the two were very well suited for one another. It was tragic that just two years into their partnership that Jedi Master Drae was killed on an escort mission to Coruscant from Naboo, giving his life to save the peaceful planet’s queen, but sacrifice was the life of a Jedi. The three friends had very little time in which to spend any time with each other, which led Will to wondering the cause of this reunion. 

"Will!" She exclaimed as she nearly bowled the man over, "I missed you!"

He laughed as he embraced her small form and reveled in the heat her body naturally produced, "Missed you too, pet. How‘ve you been?"

"Great actually," She smiled at him as she straightened. She kept her arms around him, knowing full well that due to his lack of body heat he was perpetually cold, "For I am coming with you to Terra."

His brow furrowed as he looked up at his master, his master's gaze darted away, and started to board the ship, "Time is wasting, my young charges. The ship is already loaded; I suggest we relocate to our rooms until lift-off."

The other two shared a look, and then separated as they followed him into the Corellian freighter, their steps echoing faintly through the ship. Freya shoulders slumped, "Are you displeased with me, Will?"

She turned to see his face fold into concern, putting his arm around her shoulders, “Now none of that, poppet. I’m glad to share this mission with you. However, I am concerned over the circumstances of this endeavor. Has my master said anything?"

She shook her head, "Not at all. All I know is that I was removed from my classes with the orders to meet you and Master Fiori here on the ship."

He nodded and straightened, "I think that we should go to our quarters, and unpack some things before lift-off. Go ahead and take the starboard side, my master and I will take portside." He got halfway down the hallway until he realized she hadn’t moved a muscle from her spot, still looking after him, hurt. He walked back to her, “What’s wrong, Goldie?”

Her head ducked, a blush staining her cheeks, turning them a bronze-like color, "Is something amiss?" She asked in apprehension. She motioned at herself, “With me, I mean?”

He stifled a chuckle, "I think with your," he motioned at her, "I think it would be prudent to have gender-specific rooms, don't you agree?"

"Oh!" She blushed. "Yes, you are right. I'll just," she pointed behind her, "Run along now."

He grinned as he watched her scamper off to her rooms, the girl just didn’t know the power she could wield with one smile, and he hoped that he would be there the day she realized it. He shook his head and went to find his master; there were some things that needed to be discussed. He found his master sitting on one side of a bed, his hands loosely hanging between his knees, contemplating the floor. Will knocked softly on the wall next to the doorway, "Master, is everything alright?"

He sighed, "Everything is...fine. Just preoccupied is all."

"Could you tell me what just happened back there?" He walked into the room, sitting on the bunk across from his master, "I mean, far be it for me to judge you, or question your actions, but she shouldn't be going on what is to be a dangerous mission. I do not think she is ready for this."

"You do not know that." His master said quietly, he looked up at his padawan, "There are reasons why she is here, Will. I was hoping we would get some time to discuss our future, but so far, we have been so busy."

"Our future?"

His master smiled slightly, "You are to be my padawan no longer after this mission, Will. Terra is your Jedi Trial. That is what the Council discussed with me after we arrived on Coruscant. I wanted to tell you, I just couldn't find the right time. I did not want to alarm you."

Will's eyes widened, "You mean," he breathed, "I’m going to be a knight?"

At this the master beamed, "Yes, Will. I hope that this is not a shock to you, after all, it has been ten years, and you are an exceptional student. There is nothing more I can teach you."

"I’m honored, Master. ‘M shocked, a little, but it’s a good kind of shock." Will frowned, "I find it hard to believe that the Council would allow me to become a knight, I have no memory, I’m a vam-“

"That does not matter," His master waved a hand, "We all knew that at one point you would regain your memory, even though it has not happened yet, the Jedi are not about to bind you to their cause yet. If you regain your memory before the mission is through, and want to leave the Order, you have every right to."

"And if I don't remember?"

"Then you still have a home with us. After you are knighted you will be sent on missions with a partner, some solo missions, and when you are ready, you can either teach at the Temple or take on a padawan. This mission to Terra is an opportunity for you to face your past; I have the utmost faith in you regaining your memories, familiar surroundings and all that. You will face the Trials with the same courage as you have displayed ever since I met you."

"Thank you, Master." He cocked his head, "But what of Freya?"

"She is to be my new padawan. She had shown great courage on Ryloth, not many her age would have displayed such bravery and calm in the face of adversity, she will make one great Jedi." Wyn-Udiin nodded, "I see a long future ahead of her."

Will nodded, "In any case, we have to get started. Otherwise, we won't have a mission to complete."

"I'll set the logistics to our destination, set the jump into hyperspace, and take inventory of our cargo bay."

"Shall I keep Goldie occupied, Master?" Will asked, not trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. They both knew of the crush the young twi’lek had on Will, and the master was sure that she would grow out of it. She would never grow out of her never-ending curiosity, however, which always made traveling with her an adventure.

Master Fiori turned in the doorway, "Just keep her busy in the cockpit, make sure we don't careen into any asteroids, and stop her from pushing any buttons."

"Yours or mine?"

The Jedi master rolled his eyes and walked into the cockpit, setting their flight coordinates and the jump into hyperdrive. He then stepped into the cargo bay and sighed, although the room was smaller than most freighters, there were still a numerous amount of boxes to go through. He pulled out his datapad and commenced taking inventory.  
* * *

Will was still cheekily grinning as he entered the cockpit, the sound of his boots startling the young female that had her hand stretched out to touch something on the console, “And what, pray tell, are you about to do?”

Freya snatched her hand back, smiling slightly and squirming with guilt in her seat, “I was just going to check our progress. How long do you think it will take to get to Terra?”

He shrugged a second before he hopped over the seat, and slumped into an elegant sprawl, “Might take a bit, just gotta settle in, eh?”

Freya blushed prettily, “I know I’m being impatient. I just can’t help it!” She bounced in her seat and William had to look away from the young female. 

Something about her exuberance, her almost child-like wonder, or all of that tastily bouncing flesh reminded him of someone...and just as soon as he caught a flash of memory it was gone. He took a deep breath in and swallowed from a moment’s pain, stuffing it down until he could examine it later in private. He looked over at her and cocked his eyebrow saucily, “Awful excited there, pet. How much caffe have you had, then?” 

“What _happened_ to all of the caffe in the galley? There was only one box!” 

Freya jumped at stared back at Will, her dark eyes wide, “Think he’s mad?”

At the sound of muffled clattering and a soft curse, Will chuckled, “You’re in for it, luv. He’s a right bear in the morning without it.”

“Oh _as if_ you couldn’t live without those clove sticks that you think I don’t know you have when the code _clearly_ states that we shall not imbibe what poisons the body.” The disembodied voice from back in the galley sounded so clearly irritated, which only succeeded in the couple’s continued mirth. 

Will smirked, “Oi, now come on then. ‘S not like I can exactly die from it, just like the taste ‘s all.” He looked over at face Freya made and shrugged. His brow furrowed as he looked out the cockpit and into the vast array of space, his mood quickly dropping, “It’s not really the code that states that really, innit? Just what the _Council_ prefers.” He rolled his eyes as he could practically feel his master’s chiding so he quickly changed the subject, “Although I think I was used to harsher. Not like it really did anything, nicotine that is. Now, toss me some bourbon or scotch and that’ll last an age if I haven’t fed.”

“What’s bourbon and scotch?” Freya asked quietly. She had turned her seat to face him and folded her legs in an effort to get comfortable. She and Wyn had learned that the oddest conversations and references would jog Will’s memories. They would continue to gently question him until the tangent would fizzle away. 

“Both are alcoholic beverages in which you shall _not_ experience.”

Will snorted delicately, “Least not while he’s around.”

Freya’s hopeful look crumpled as Wyn retorted, “ _That_ sounds like someone needs to find something to do with all of their supposed free time than to attempt at corrupting younglings.”

There was a small beat of silence, then Will twisted his seat while adopting an aura of innocence, “He’s talking about you, ya know.”

They stifled their laughter as they heard what could only be several boxes fall to the floor and a short stomp in frustration. “You know,” Wyn’s deceptively measured tone started with a slight sigh, “I really can’t believe I’m even saying this, but I could use a drink.”

* * *

"So what can we do?" Xander questioned, motioning to the texts, "How are we going to figure out what the prophecy thingie says?"

Giles sat down, "I have no idea. The fact that we stumbled upon these texts in the nick of time dissuades me. We need to find something or someone that could help us."

"I hate to even bring this up but," Xander held up his hands, reluctant, "what about Angel?"

"Angel doesn't need to be concerned with this." Giles shut down that suggestion with finality.

"Maybe our Willowy goddess may help us in our conundrum." Everyone turned to stare at Andrew, once again. Andrew took out his cell-phone, "Let's call Willow, and see if she has a 'Revealo' spell or something."

"I hardly think that this could be solved so easily as using a spell." Giles lips thinned. 

"Well the rest of us aren't coming up with anything useful." Buffy stated while walking out of the library, "I'm going to go and oversee the girls, see if there's anything I can figure out. Let me know if you find anything."

They made the call to Willow, enlisting her help along with the coven she was currently visiting, and they would get their answer soon. Xander, Andrew, and Giles sat down to try to decipher something of the text in the meantime, in Willow-speak, 'soon' could mean a few minutes to a few days. 

"Okay," Started Xander, "You said you understood hellmouths around the world. Did it mention anything about them opening?"

Giles scanned the page, "Yes, it says here," He squinted, "They will open to the voice of ultimate evil." He sat back in his chair, "Hmm, I didn't see that before."

"Maybe the spell is working."

Giles shrugged, "Maybe." He read further, "Our warriors...not enough....Two champions fall in a blaze of fire in aide..."

"Maybe that has something to do about Los Angeles," Andrew surmised quietly, looking up to see if anyone heard him after the fact. He breathed a sigh of relief as they were engrossed in the documents, "Well, all we have to do is wait until we see a blaze of fire."

"The blaze of fire couldn't mean literally."  
* * *

Alarms blared throughout the ship, and the master ran to the cockpit to join his charges, "What is going on?"

"Remember our last mission, Master?" Asked Will apprehensively, pushing a sequence of buttons to nullify the threat.

The master gripped the back of his padawan’s seat, "And?"

"I don't think those blighters ran a full diagnostics test before we shipped out. We are going to crash."

"There is nothing to crash into!" Exclaimed Freya.

Master Fiori's lips thinned, "Calm yourself, Freya. This is a minor set-back. We are in Terra's system; we just need to rig something to get us the rest of the way. What is the problem?"

"One would assume that due to the modification capabilities of this ship, some wires may have been crossed. I believe that some of the modifications used for added propulsion are acting against each other, basically shorting out the power output." Will flipped a couple switches over his head, and some of the alarms quieted, "Unfortunately, the hyperdrive is shorted out after that last jump an hour ago. If I redirect some of the power, it should buy us a little time."

The master nodded, "Do it."

"I can see it," Freya breathed, "It's so beautiful."

Will paused in his attempt at buying them a little time to see what she was talking about; a large planet loomed before them in a variety of green and blue hues with fluffy white clouds stretching across its surface. A soft glow illuminated the planet, and Will surmised it was the sun that was to the east of them. He supposed that it was beautiful, but he had seen many other beautiful planets holding dark secrets within its depths.

"Do not be fooled by its outer appearance," His master advised, taking the thought right out of his head, "This place is rife with an evil we haven’t had the chance to meet yet. It is not like Korriban, displaying its evil for everyone to see."

"’S not the planet," Will said, almost dream-like, "It’s the forces at work. There is some good left there." He shook his head, trying to shake the incessant thoughts away until they were safely on the planet. He opened the panel above his feet, shifting underneath to get at the wires. As Freya and his master discussed the up-coming mission and their role, Will searched for the right wires to splice together. He did not question the idea that formed into his mind before he started to fix the power, he acted on his instincts. Maybe it was a left-over skill he had from his former-life, a skill he was grateful to have. His eyes widened, eyebrow climbing near to his hairline as a dark shape above him was illuminated by an inner light inside the compartment he opened.

He reached up and delicately removed the object. On closer inspection, it looked like a mangled spanner, bent and shoved deep into the wiring. He set it down beside him, and shifted closer. Many wires were snapped, and he sighed at the amount of work he was going to have to do after they set down on land. He rolled his head on his shoulders, and started to fuse a couple wires together, redirecting some of the power from the power conduit to the propulsion generator, and hoped it would get them there before everything went pear-shaped.

He moved back into his chair, and a significant amount of the alarms stopped, "Well, it seems that a mangled spanner found its way into our control panel. I removed it, but it snapped a significant number of wires. Hopefully, we will have it up in running again in no time."

"You did a great job, Padawan." Wyn-Udiin squeezed his shoulder gently.

"Thank you, Master. Now where shall we land? Small secluded island until we get our bearings?" He indicated a small island above a large continent in the northern hemisphere of the planet.

"That would do fine, Padawan. Let's get this bucket on the ground in relative safety this time."  
* * *

"Buffy, we have a problem." A young slayer walked up to the blonde. Buffy sat the sword she was polishing down and faced her, "A large group of vampires were located near our fortress. Shall I send a group of slayers to erase them?"

She surveyed the group of freshly-recruited slayers, the rest were deployed all over the world just yesterday, she wasn't counting on anything happening just yet, but that's what you get for taking chances, "Send for Xander, Andrew, and Angel, have them meet me out here. Have the rest of the girls in standby. Any word on Willow's spell?"

The girl shook her head, "They have deciphered some words, but that's all-"

"Oh my god," Exclaimed Buffy, looking up into the sky, "Is that a meteor?"

The other slayer looked up, jaw dropping, " I have no idea what that is, in any case, it’s huge! Should we send for-"

"No authorities," She held up her hand, her focus on the raging ball of flame plummeting to Earth, "We'll examine it when we are through with that group of vampires."

"It looks like its falling where we last saw the vampires; you may not have to split up the team."

Buffy nodded, "Good. Get the team, and inform the rest of the girls to be on red-alert until we come back, there's no telling what's in that...thing."

The team was assembled with due haste, Angel bringing up the rear. The rest of the slayers were still a little unsure around Angel, and he with them. No one questioned Buffy's reasoning about letting Angel join them- at least not to her face- but all felt the tension. Normally, he stayed away from everyone apart from training and the occasional mission, always with either Buffy or one from the original Sunnydale team; and many assumed it was because of the events that happened in Los Angeles, the reason why he came to them in the first place. 

As one they set out to the 'crash site' as Andrew called it, however they didn't hear anything from the pasture where they assumed the ball of flame landed. 

They came upon a battle.  
* * *

The creatures set upon them immediately as they left the ship, their faces deformed, their eyes glowing. Something about them reminded Will of a memory, of another face like this one, only female. Her eyes glowed like the far-off suns of Coruscant, her dark hair gathered in an elaborate jeweled catch, curls gathered around her shoulders and framing her ivory face. She spoke in a haunting whisper, slightly accented, her ruby red lips framing nonsensical phrases about fish and effulgence.

He shook his head slightly, the hood of his outer long-coat hiding his face from these creatures. If they survived he did not want them recognizing him for future retaliation. He had to be in the here and now in order to safely protect their young charge from any damage these things could cause. 

He thrust out his hand in a stop gesture, making the creatures falling back a couple feet, some of them falling to the ground while a few others hit trees and promptly burst into dust.

With an expression of amazement, Will gaped, “Force.” Suddenly he remembered another instance in which this happened. He could see himself in a large yard, various sized stones littering the ground in a type of strange mosaic. He saw as a young blonde girl fought a group of beings just like these, wielding a piece of wood as a weapon. Barbaric though it may be, it was effective as they exploded in a cloud of dust and ash, it seemed like it coated his throat as he swallowed.

He looked to his right to see his master do the exact same thing, with the same results, but it was as though they multiplied, kept coming at them. They both looked at each other and nodded, they had to nullify this threat, for there was no telling what the creatures were going to do to them or to anyone else if left to their own devices, the two Jedi had no choice. 

As one they drew their drew their lightsabers. The doubled blades gold and azure blue beams sparked instantly, illuminating the glade. At that moment, nothing was more clear and cleansing to the padawan than to hear the low hum of the blade. He thought he heard a cry just after they drew their blades but after closer inspection, supposed it was just the wind through the trees, or a bird.  
* * *

"Ohm-" Andrew gasped as he saw two hooded figures draw lightsabers of all things. Buffy slammed a hand over his mouth and yanked him back, "Shut it! They'll hear us!"

"It looks like they may need some help." Supplied Angel quietly.

"We need to be sure-"

Before she could say anything further the figure with the golden-hued lightsaber jumped and slashed the vampire in front of him in half, only to twist and slash another before his booted feet had the chance to touch the ground. He held up a hand in front of another that came charging at him, stopping him in midair. The creature flailed and clutched at an invisible barrier squeezing around his neck. The dark-hooded Jedi stalked towards him, his gait rolling in a very familiar way to the Slayer. Her brows furrowed as the almost unthinkable thought skittered across her mind.

Without missing a beat he slashed at a vampire charging towards him, not sparing the unfortunate creature a second glance as it tried to crawl away, only to be dispatched by the other male Jedi. The familiar Jedi approached the dangling creature, pulled him close as if to ask a question.

“We don’t know you! I swear! We were sent for the Slayer!” He babbled in fear. The Jedi cocked his head, the hood still darkening the features that Buffy could still see clearly in her dreams. She stepped forward to warn him as he let the creature go...out of pity? 

Too late, as the creature let out a deep and rumbling growl. He launched himself only to scream in despair as the Jedi in front of him twisted, cleaving the creature in two. The two halves exploded into dust to join the other clouds of expired enemies.

She looked around as all became silent in the glade. She saw neither head nor fang of the group of vampires that beset the small group ahead of them, she only saw the two hooded figures, and a small brightly colored...alien? behind them. They extinguished their blades, putting their hilts into their belts underneath their outer robes. The shorter of the two turned his back, facing the small figure behind him, clasping her upper arms. The other one's head turned, the dark void beneath the hood staring right into Buffy. She felt a slight breeze, warm and comforting compared to the other gales she was used to in Scotland. He stretched out a gloved hand, curling it inwardly as if beckoning her forth.

She moved forward, and motioned her friends to do the same, "It’s alright," she said slowly. "They aren't here to hurt us."

"I should say not!" Andrew exclaimed disapprovingly, "They are Jedi, sworn to protect the innocent and saving the galaxy. Duh."

She stepped into the clearing, the other two standing beside the one who motioned her forward. He friends hesitantly following behind her, all except Andrew, who stalked forward beside her.  
"Hey," she said softly, "We aren't here to hurt you. We just want to know what you want."

"We mean no harm," The taller one spoke, the quiet words softly accented. Angel cocked his head and sniffed, then shrugged in dismay. Something about these people confused him, their aura of peace dissuading him. The taller one nodded to his two companions, they reached to the folds of their hoods, the young one stepping to the side of him.

"My stars and garters," Andrew breathed, "She's a Twi'lek."

The young twi'lek seemed to fold in upon herself, shy at the attention she was receiving from these people. The shorter hooded figure moved closer to her, both of the hooded figures putting their hands on each shoulder in a clear sign of protection. They reached up and removed their hoods, revealing familiar features to the Scooby Gang.

"Spike?" Buffy choked out as Will's face came into view, pain infusing in the one syllable. 

Will's brow furrowed, seemingly not able to understand. Wyn-Udiin could feel his padawan's confusion and dismay, "I am sorry, we do not know of whom you speak. I am Jedi Master Wyn-Udiin Fiori. This is my padawan, Will. The young twi'lek is named Freya Yao and is under our protection." 

"Wesley?" Angel breathed.


	3. Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Your next mission is to the planet Terra. We have reason to believe that it is rife with the force, however, it is tainted by a great evil..."_
> 
> _* * *  
>  "We have reason to believe there will be yet another apocalypse."_
> 
> _“It mentions the hellmouths around the world...our warriors not enough...two champions..."_
> 
> _* * *  
>  "Well, all we have to do is wait until we see a blaze of fire."_
> 
> _"The blaze of fire couldn't mean literally."_
> 
> _* * *  
>  "I don't think they ran a full diagnostics test before we shipped out. We are going to crash."_
> 
> _"Oh my god," Exclaimed Buffy, looking up into the sky, "Is that a meteor?"_
> 
> _* * *  
>  "I am sorry, we do not know of whom you speak. I am Jedi Master Wyn-Udiin Fiori. This is my padawan, Will. The young twi'lek is named Freya Yao and is under our protection." _
> 
> _"Wesley?" Angel breathed._
> 
> _* * *_

“Wesley?” Angel breathed.

They saw Wyn-Udiin’s brow furrow, but before he could say anything, Andrew ran up to Will and wrapped his arms around him, “Oh my god you’re alive! Er...undead still! Angel said he couldn’t find you after the Great Battle in Los Angeles. We thought you were dust.”

“Yeah,” Buffy said, “Funny we didn’t get the memo that you came back.” She folded her arms and directed a pointed look at Angel, “Wanna explain that?”

Will looked down at the man still holding onto him, “I am sorry that I caused such…” He took the younger man by his shoulders and created some space between them, looking deep into the young man’s eyes he asked, “Do I know you?”

Will could hear the veritable pin drop at his question, all sound seemed to have been sucked from their little meadow. He looked at each person before them, their faces ranging from shock, bewilderment, and what was most surprising of all…pain. That look was reserved for the man with an eye-patch, he stared at Will as if he couldn’t believe he was real, it confused him in more ways than one.

Xander took a few steps forward, standing next to Buffy. He could not believe that Spike was standing before them, whole and well, with what one would assume, no memory of them. His appearance had changed drastically; no longer did he have bleach-blonde hair, but honey-gold shoulder length hair gathered in the back, with a small waist-length braid hanging from behind his left ear. His clothes reflected the other man’s, only his were a darker color. He could have laughed about the dark clothing, it seemed as though the vampire only knew two colors: red and black. For some reason however, seeing the other man, made him feel…He couldn’t describe what he felt. 

When Spike didn’t make it back to them after the amulet did its work, annihilating all of Sunnydale, he didn’t feel anything. He couldn’t really, not after hearing about Anya. Now to see that not only did Spike survive- apparently has been technically alive for a while- and absolutely no word from Angel about any of it? He just couldn’t get a bead on any emotion to cover his shock. Too much information at one time blew his circuits, he supposed. All he could think was that he looked good for being supposedly dust twice over.

“You mean,” Buffy stepped closer, “You don’t remember anything?”

Will frowned, “I remember some things, but not everything.” His eyes closed, eyes tightening, “Some things are coming back, however.” 

Buffy looked over her shoulder at Angel and frowned, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Before Angel could say anything, Wyn stepped forward, “Maybe this is not the best place to talk about this. It is not safe out here for any of you; we should all reconvene at a different place tomorrow and talk.”

_Master what are you saying? I do not know these people, nor trust them. That Angel-“_

_“-Seems to remember you. They all do, in some fashion. These people may be the ones that are able to restore your memory.”_

_“How do you explain them being here just after we crash land then? They might know me, but in what fashion is our relationship with one another? They could be acting.”_

Wyn mentally sighed, _“Yes but we need answers. Would you rather stumble around blindly in this planet, hoping for a memory, or would you rather glean as much information as you can from these people?”_

Will couldn’t deny the truth of his master’s words, already he had flashes of memory, and some were so strong he could barely concentrate. He blew a stream of air through his nose and looked up, his eyes locking with the eye-patched man. A tremor ran through his gut, the force of it nearly taking his breath away. He had no idea what it meant, but he did know that as soon as he saw the man, he couldn’t deny that somehow he knew him. He was broken out of his reverie as the blonde woman spoke.

“Oh you don’t need to worry about us; we can take care of ourselves.” She grinned. She looked behind her, “Sorry, you must be wondering who we are. My name is Buffy, and these men,” She motioned to the three men behind her, “Are Angel, and Xander. Andrew is the one that hugged you.” She said softly to Will.

Wyn, Will and Freya bowed to the four people. Wyn stepped forward and smiled, “It is a pleasure to meet you Buffy, Angel, Xander and Andrew.” He nodded to each one of them. The man called Angel was still gaping at him, which totally dismayed him. He shook his head, “Nevertheless, it is not safe here, those creatures-“

“-Are vampires,” interrupted Buffy, “Don’t worry, we’ve fought them countless times before, we can deal.” Buffy looked behind them, “Your uh, spaceship-thing is smoking.”

Will whirled behind him, “I hope nothing is on fire…” He trailed off as he walked up the ramp. Freya glanced back at the group, and then she looked to Wyn. After receiving a nod from the Jedi master she followed Will into the ship.

“Look why don’t you all just come back with us?” Buffy asked. “We have more than enough room, it won’t be any trouble.”

Wyn bowed to the blonde slayer, “It would be an honor, Buffy. I must confer with my companions; however I am sure they will acquiesce to your request.” He nodded to them and walked back to the ship. 

“Guys, I can take care of things here. Andrew, I need you to go back to the castle and get a couple rooms ready. I’m sure they’re tired after their…crash. Angel, go with them back to the castle, dawn isn’t far off. Xander, I need you to get a hold of Willow, catch her up on what’s happening. Tell her I’m going to need her ASAP.”

Xander nodded, “Sure Buffy. No problem.” He motioned for Andrew and Angel to follow, and started off for the castle, Andrew close behind.

Angel hesitated, taking a few steps forward, “Buffy I’m not going to leave you alone with these people. We don’t know what they’re here for, they might be dangerous.”

After he said this, a silence befell the wood. Buffy clasped her hands behind her back, still facing the ship. Quietly she said, “That was an order Angel. I don’t believe that was up for discussion.”  
* * *

The three companions agreed, with much deliberation on Will’s part. They agreed that the only way they would get any answers, is to stay with the people that had first made contact with them, who seemed to know more about Will. It was as if the Force had willed it so. They had nothing to bring with them, for a Jedi carried no possessions. As the early morning light crested the top of the forest trees, the Jedis descended the ship’s exit ramp, meeting once again with the blonde woman. Buffy: a peculiar name for a most peculiar woman. Jedi Master Wyn had felt no deception from her or her companions, but nevertheless he was not about to let himself be blinded by their hospitality.

He was not going to lose those close to him through inattention.

Not again.  
* * *

Darkness enveloped the cathedral, the silvery-cold moonlight the only illumination in the seemingly desolate building. The walls were ivory white, adorned with tapestries and framed paintings depicting seemingly religious scenes, only serving to horrify the onlooker. The aisle leading up to the grand altar was covered in a deep-almost maroon-red runner, flanked on either side by dark walnut pews. Columns that stretched across the entire room served as monoliths, not only sustaining the marble and stained glass ceiling above, but also to create shadowy alcoves for mysterious rendezvous. 

The altar itself was monstrously huge, a grand affair of expensive marble and granite, swathed in lush velvet embroidered cloth. Two gold candle sticks stood as silent sentinels on either side of a large tome resting in the center. A sizeable statue of a man nailed to a cross hung just behind, a horrible reminder of barbarism passed, meant not only to invoke the subject of sacrifice, but also to subdue spectators. 

It was silent save for the muted footsteps of a black-robed figure walking slowly down the aisle, only to stop and gaze at the large statue behind the altar. The figure had never seen anything like this depicted as a form of decoration for a holy place, he had seen however, men in the same position and usually by his own hand. The power he held over the weak had to be displayed for all those that opposed him, to serve as a reminder who truly held the reins in the universe. 

He grinned, “I like this place.”

Another form appeared beside, seemingly to bleed through the shadow, “I found them.”

The master closed his eyes, “They are so close now…I can feel my former pupil.” He turned his head to the side, as if listening for something, “You are close to the learner, yes?”

As if from reluctance, the other replied, “Yes.”

“I love it when my pawns fall in line so quickly.” He reached out his hand, concentrating on the bright beam of light in the force, the two Jedi that could foil his plans if he didn’t do something about it right now. He focused on the learner, the one with the most potential, the one better to affect his former padawan. He released his sick hatred into him, seeing the poison course through his body, making him weaker and more susceptible to the taint growing on this planet. He wanted his former padawan to watch his blessed learner die slowly and ever so much painfully. 

He hated him that much.  
* * *

As they drew closer to Buffy, Will felt a wave of nausea, and his world went slightly grey. He stumbled slightly, Freya grabbed his arm to steady him. He smiled at her in thanks and straightened, walking with his back ram-rod straight as they reached the blonde. Wyn-Udiin and Freya shared a concerned look behind his back, something was wrong in the force. As they set off for the castle, Wyn-Udiin sent his senses out wide, he had felt a disturbance in the force not too long ago, just before Will stumbled, he had a bad feeling about this.

He could feel the malevolence of this planet, a teeming surge just simmering below a pleasant veneer, it would be easy for the users of the dark side of the force to hide here. He was concerned about his charges’ welfare, whether it was such a good idea to come to this place; it seemed so at the time, although now he wasn’t so sure. He knew his padawan could take care of himself, but he couldn’t bear for his pupil, his friend, to be injured or at the very worst killed so close to his knighthood because his master could not protect him well enough.

What he found chilled him to the core, it was a presence that he had not felt in a long time, that of his former master. Rhys Vahkar. Just before Wyn-Udiin became a Jedi Knight, his beloved master started to sicken, which was a very strange occurrence since Jedi were not prone to illness and learned at a very young age at the temple how to resist such things. He soon began to weaken, barely able to ward off attacks with his lightsaber, however he was still able to access the force and use it, which astounded most. The illness soon started to reach his mind, warping it, and he soon began to question Jedi doctrine, upsetting younglings and the Council. Their last mission together…it grew worse. Wyn-Udiin shuddered at the memory, they did not part on friendly terms. It was a memory that had haunted him every night, much like Will’s last memory haunted him. All this time, he thought his master had died on Korriban, which begged the question…

How long have they been followed?  
* * *

“I hope your room is alright,” Buffy said, leading Will into a spacious bedroom, “We had to do some major reconstruction a few years back, someone set a missile on us and nearly leveled the place. Some of the rooms are pretty drafty.” She turned around to see Will quietly surveying the room. She walked closer to him, saying softly, “So you don’t remember anything at all, huh? Not even,” She bit her bottom lip, looking at her feet, “Not even me?”

“I am sorry milady,” He said quietly, “I have no idea. I am sure that with enough time, I shall remember.”

She looked back up, and her smile faded, “You don’t look so good.” His skin looked ashen, sheathed in sweat, and he seemed to be swaying on his feet, “I think you need to go to our infirmary.”

He shook his head, waved his hand to the side slowly, “I’ll be fine, honest. I just need some rest is all.”

Her brow furrowed, but nodded, “You’ll be fine. You just need some rest is all.” He smiled and moved passed her to the bed. As she reached the door, she looked over her shoulder at him, “I guess everyone looks like that after a crash. I’ll just leave you alone now.” She shook her head as she left, something really weird was going on.

More so than usual.  
* * *

Will supposed that he should have felt at least a little guilty for using the Jedi Mind Trick on the girl, but she didn’t need to know that he felt close to collapsing as soon as they started for the castle. It could have been whiplash, or a result of the crash like she said, but ever since they landed-and that was what he was going to call it, no matter what his master or anyone else said-he felt as though there was something, someone, acting against them.

He felt a disturbance unlike any other, although he could have just chalked it up to nerves, this place felt so wrong somehow. As he sank down into the bedding of his borrowed quarters, he felt some of his tension melting away. It wasn’t for the Jedi to accept, nor succumb to such luxury, but after the past few days, he wanted to set up camp inside this bed.

He stared at the ceiling, his mind too awake for the rest of his body. This place and its people were so strange, and that was something considering the bizarre places they have visited. Their reactions, as they saw him, were what had thrown him the most. He surmised he should know the blonde woman quite well, she put off the impression that they were pretty…close. His heightened senses, a trait that he had before the Jedi started teaching him, sent him mingled signals. Her scent surprised him, alerting him to her many emotions: anger, surprise, remorse…desire. Her heartbeat quickened when she saw him, sped up as he spoke, then stuttered and slowed as he revealed his amnesia. It seemed as though she had a rough few years, her eyes and mouth were tight as they walked to the castle.

He shook his head, Will and the young man must have been close. Close enough for the young one to invade his personal space by hugging him. It was very uncomfortable, but strangely endearing. The tall, bulky one seemed flabbergasted by all of them, a natural sign of suspicion, but something about the act seemed so contrived. He knew that in the future, he would have to keep a closer eye on the man, something told him to stay wary around him. Out of everything that had happened, nothing concerned Will the most except for the feeling of closeness to Angel. He curled his body into a small ball, lying on his side, the nausea was getting worse, whether or not there was something wrong with him or the feelings he picked up off of Angel. 

He took a few deep breaths, his thoughts at last landing on the eye-patched man, Xander. He couldn’t explain the feeling he had when locking eyes with him. It felt like a deep knowing, as if he knew things about the man that no other could dream of. It was as if the force was trying to tell him something, sort of pulling him towards the young man. What concerned him the most was how much of the force he could sense in Xander, there wasn’t much time to speak of it to his master, and even thinking was starting to make his head throb.

He rolled onto his stomach and buried his head under the pillow to drown out the sounds from the Scottish moors. Usually he enjoyed listening to the late-night sounds of nature, whenever they had to camp on a new planet, he always spent the first night just listening to all the myriad sounds. Tonight however, he could barely stand the early morning rain pattering against the pane-glass window. He wrapped his arms around the pillow, forming the cushion tighter around his ears, muffling everything. He sighed in utter relief and slipped into the oblivion of sleep.  
* * *

_The older vampire came upon William as he was writing in his journal on a rug near the hearth. He bent down without notice, only to see that not only was the younger doing something as mundane as a mere mortal would do, but he was writing poetry._

_It was about his sire, and really bad by the looks of it._

_He swooped down and grabbed the book, knocking the young vampire away as he was reaching for his journal._

_“Mere moments,  
An eternity,  
Apart from my beloved.  
The heart aches,  
The soul weeps,  
To find thyself unloved.”_

_The older vampire quoted mockingly, and tutted, “Ah William.”_

_“Give it back!” William growled._

_“Will?” He heard the disembodied voice, muffled as if from far away, or remembered from a dream. He wanted to answer, but found he could not._

_It grew quiet; one could hear a relative pin drop in the room. The older vampire stared down his nose at William, and casually tossed his journal into the fire. William’s eyes widened, if his heart could beat it would have skipped as he saw the beloved leather-bound novel being slowly consumed by the flames. All of his work, everything he had ever written since he turned twenty had been carefully written by his own careful hand into the journal, the only thing he had kept since he was turned, all of it turned to ash. He blinked away the moisture that welled seeing the buttery soft leather blacken and crackle, so easily destroyed. He looked up at his sire, Angelus and choked, “Why?”_

_Angelus sneered and swiped William across the face with his mighty paw, scoring five deep gashes. The force of the blow knocked him into the corner, the blood running down into the collar of his shirt.  
“Will? Answer me, please.” Will started shaking, feeling real fear for what seemed like an eternity, may well have been since his turning._

_“Why?” He froze as the deceptively innocent question passed the older vampire’s lips. William looked up to see shadow falling across his angelic features. His sire stood in the middle of the rug, hands hanging at his sides. Before William had time to say anything in his defense, his sire grabbed him by the back of the neck and tossed him into the middle of the room, and before he could scramble away, he felt a great weight settle on his back. His knees were pressed into the wood, could almost hear them cracking under the pressure over the noise of the fire. His left arm was caught underneath him, but his right arm, his writing hand was free. “Oh God,” he thought. His sire wouldn’t literally—_

_His hand was grabbed in a crushing grip, angled behind his back, and he knew that if he tried to move, he would help break the limb. It happened before. “I’ll tell ye why William,” Angelus lowered his voice to nearly a whisper, all the better to get his childe’s attention. He grabbed his forefinger, squeezing harshly, “Because you are nothing.” He yanked the finger back, until he heard a crack signifying the break. He reveled at the wail that came forth, and grabbed the middle finger, “Always had been nothing.” He yanked back again, breaking another finger issuing forth another cry, and moved on to his ring finger, “Will always be nothing.” He took the littlest finger, and leaned down to whisper into Will’s ear, “And once you have served your purpose, you will be dust in the wind as far as I care.” Then he swiftly snapped the bone. He sighed as William screamed again, and covered his mouth with his left hand, “If ye keep carryin’ on like this, I’ll just have to break the whole thing so ye learn yer lesson. Ye don’t want me to do tha’, do ye William?” He laughed and shrugged, grabbing the mangled hand, “Guess it doesn’ really matter what ye want, does it?” He twisted the hand until he heard the liquid snap, and William’s hoarse cries._  
* * *

Will awoke with a scream dying on his lips, covered in a cold sweat. His right hand ached as if it was broken all over again. He brought the hand closer to his face, his vision blurry, and saw that it was stark white, stiff and cold. He shivered, and flexed the fingers gingerly, hissing softly as the merest twitch sent pins and needles up his arm. He would have to go back to their ship and wrap it up before working on the electrical system.

_“Will?”_ He heard the voice again from his dream, but realized with some chagrin that it was in fact his master. 

_“Yes, Master. I am sorry, I must have overslept.”_

_“Is everything alright, Padawan?”_ He could feel his master’s concern, like a light brush against his mind, and felt immediately guilty for letting his guard down so easily. _“You did not look so well last night, will you be able enough to go through our morning exercises?”_

Will nodded, and rolled his eyes at the futility of the gesture, _“Yes Master. I will be there in due time.”_

He levered himself out of the comfortable bed, every muscle ached and felt heavy, and every joint felt stiff. His head felt worse however, it immediately started pounding, his vision trailed, and the nausea was almost overwhelming. He stepped into the adjoining bathroom and cringed at the image that greeted him in the mirror, he looked like the walking dead. His skin was pale and looked almost paper-thin, his eyes were sunken, dark circles ringed them. His eyes were blood-shot, aching and feeling tight. His ears felt as if stuffed with cloth, everything was muffled and throbbing. His lips looked bloodless and were cracked; his bottom lip was split, but thankfully not leaking blood.

He sighed and leaned against the sink, resting his head on the cold surface of the glass mirror in front of him, he couldn’t stop shaking. He splashed cold water on his heated face, and then turned backed to the bedroom to put his boots on that he kicked off, supposedly in the middle of the night. Although how his toes could maneuver the complicated buckles was a mystery to him. He paused as he stepped into one, and wondered who the hell took his boots off for him. He chuckled, it must have been his master, the other man couldn’t leave well enough alone sometimes and if he expressed his concerns this morning, then Will knew that he must have come to check on him during the night.

He buckled up his boots, and then flopped back on the bed, closing his eyes. He took a couple of deep breaths and concentrated. His body felt weak and ill, but his mind was active through the pain. He reached out through the force, feeling the cool and soothing balm already healing some of the illness. He sighed, and kept his eyes closed as he wrapped up his spontaneous meditation, silently thanking the force for its use. As he opened his eyes, he saw everything a litter clearer, breathed a little easier. He knew that if he went through a complete healing trance, it may be knock out the sickness altogether, but there was little time. With that, he stood and went to join his master.

* * *

“Willow called,” Xander reported as he entered the library, “She’s flying in, she had to take care of something last night.”

“Or someone,” Buffy said ruefully. Xander chuckled lightly and picked up a large tome. He settled down across from the blonde, looking as if he was reading intently. Buffy cocked her head, “Xander, are you okay?”

He looked up from the tome and shrugged, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

She mirrored his shrug, “I don’t know you’ve just been acting funny.”

“What?” He questioned, “Like funny as in ‘ha-ha’ or funny I-need-a-straight-jacket?”

She sighed and shook her head, “Funny as in weird, strange, not you. Is this because of our ‘visitors’?” She asked as she made bunny ears with her fingers.

He shut the book and settled it in his lap, folding his fingers over the soft leather, “What is this about?”

Buffy rubbed her forehead, “I don’t know. I guess I’m feeling guilty about just letting them stay here, without discussing it with you. I know the history between you and him, and I just thought-“

“-You don’t need to explain anything, Buff.” He held up a hand, effectively silencing her, “What happened in Sunnydale, stays in Sunnydale. It’s kinda like Vegas like that. I haven’t thought about that crap since my hometown turned into a canyon, believe me, there’s no love lost there.” He blushed, suddenly remembering his lost love Anya.

It seemed Buffy thought the same thing, “I know what you meant, Xan. It’s okay.”

Xander looked out the window, “I don’t know what’s up lately, Buff. I think seeing Spike…err, Will again just…I can’t really explain. I’m kind of confused about the whole thing. I mean how-“

They were interrupted as the library door opened, revealing a harried slayer, “Ma’am, Ain-Lee just called. There’s trouble in Japan. They requested your help.”

All the color drained from Buffy’s face, “Ain-Lee? Is there any word on Satsu?”

The girl shook her head, “I think that is the reason why she has requested assistance. She hasn’t heard from Satsu for a few days. She should have been back by now.”

Buffy’s lips thinned, it wasn’t like Satsu to just take off after a mission or not leave anything behind if she was taken somehow, she would have to get to the bottom of this. She nodded, “Tell them that I’m on my way.” She turned to Xander on her way to the door, “Xander, I need you to keep a close eye on these guys. If they really are who they say they are and can help us, I want to make sure we can trust them…and that they don’t get dead.”

Xander nodded, “You can count on me, Buff.”

She beamed, “Always have.” With that, she left Xander to his thoughts, which were in a mighty jumble.

One the one hand, he was glad that Buffy chose him to look after their new visitors, and trusted him to see it through. Even after all these years, he still didn’t know how he could contribute to their cause. At first, it was because they were all friends, namely Xander was Willow’s friend, as the two girls struck up a friendship first. Then as the years went by, they all grew close, and he was trusted for babysitting, a few laughs, and the occasional take-out/delivery food. When he got into construction, he was needed for weapons-making/upgrading. For a while after Sunnydale, namely after losing his eye; he didn’t exactly know what the hell he could do for Buffy. He guessed that after years fighting alongside a slayer gave him some credentials to help train the new ones, but mostly he was just there for Buffy, like he always had been.

He supposed he should have done something else with his life after what happened to Sunnydale, should have found something else less heart-breaking than slaying and fighting the forces of darkness, but every time he thought of anything else, something always seemed to stop him, and steer him back to slaying. He thought for a while that he just wasn’t over Buffy, and wondered what it was about her that always brought him back. Until one day he realized…it was never about her. It was about doing what was right, saving innocent people from evil that they could never possibly imagine. No matter the cost, or sacrifice, he would never turn his back on the path he was on right now. Even thought there had been times he would look back, and wonder why he was still running up the down-slope, he knew there was no turning back and no way of completely obliterating evil.

He tipped his head back against the chair, staring up at the ceiling; the next few days until Buffy came back were going to be difficult. He wondered how he was going to be able to keep tabs on the Jedi without them getting suspicious, not to mention making sure that they survive whatever it was that threatened them. One of them being an amnesiatic Spike was a whole other matter all together. How Buffy was taking all of this, he didn’t know. Xander supposed he didn’t mind having to hang around Spike, if that’s who he really was. However, Xander got a kick out of Spike being a Jedi, and he supposed that it must have been hard for Angel to deal.

Xander stood and walked to the window, pulling back the drapes to get some much needed light into the room. What he saw when he looked out the window, made his heart stop. Outside the castle walls, in the meadow where their ship crashed, were the Jedi doing an exercise he had seen Buffy and Angel doing years ago. That wasn’t what made him nearly choke however.

Spike was in the sunlight: very much alive.

Xander’s blood ran cold, how could he still be alive in the sun? What frightened him even more was that Angel could probably see this happening, since they had sun-proofed windows.

Angel was so gonna kill Spike.  
* * *

They ended their workout with a deep breath, smiling slightly as they felt the force thrum through their bodies. They never realized how much power they could raise just by doing a few simple stretches, but wonders never ceased. Wyn guessed it was because it was more than one person concentrating on the force and what they wanted accomplished. Will enjoyed it just for the simple fact that he could let his body separate from his mind, letting the force move through him in a symbolic dance of their unity in the force. 

All things must come to an end, so after the last deep breath, they opened their eyes and faced each other. The two padawan learners bowed to the master, and walked back to the castle, speaking quietly to each other. After Freya suggested a spirited race to the doors, and then promptly setting out into a sprint, Will could do nothing else but to shore up his speed and out run her. His longer legs quickly ate up the distance, and he reached the doors first, holding the door shut behind him, laughing softly all the while. 

His laughter quickly slammed out of him as he was slammed against the wall, a forearm pressed harshly against his throat, cutting off his air supply. He grabbed the cool flesh, pitting his vast strength against the other’s. 

“How did you do it?!” Angel screamed, his face flushing with borrowed blood, “How can you walk outside?!” He leaned all of his weight on his arm; Will tried kicking and clawing at the immoveable flesh. Angel grew tired of Will’s struggle and kicked his legs to the side, digging his hip into Will lap, effectively cutting off his movement. As Will raised his arm to try and force push Angel off of him, the bigger man grabbed his wrist and shoved it against the wall, a sickening crack could be heard above the struggle and panting. Will flinched, looking Angel in the eyes, and paled. His hand and wrist throbbed, throwing him into a panicked frenzy. He was starting to lose consciousness, black spots appeared in his vision, his limbs were moving much slower. 

The door burst open and Will heard a faint gasp, “What are you doing?! Get off of him!” His eyes lolled to the side to see a very blurry, very pissed off Freya. He could only hope she wouldn’t light her saber, he didn’t want to lose a limb on top of a broken wrist and what he wished wasn’t a collapsed trachea. Before he could warn her of the danger, she hurled herself at his assailant, punching him in the tender area where his neck met shoulder. Angel toppled to the floor; hand over his wound, making a strange liquid sound. He looked up at the seemingly frail creature above him, his face suddenly contorting into a monstrous mask, causing Freya to take a few steps back. Will could only wheeze softly before his vision grayed and he passed out.

Freya made a motion to assist her fallen friend, getting a warning growl from Angel in response. He slowly straightened, his golden eyes boring into her. Her hand slowly strayed to the training lightsaber equipped to her belt, it wouldn’t cause grievous harm, but it would hurt like hell. All she needed was a few seconds before Wyn would walk through the door to their aid. Her chin lifted, “You stay away from him. He has caused no harm to you.”

He sneered at her, and as she slowly bent down to lift Will against the wall, he moved like lightning and struck her across the face. She looked up, holding her stinging cheek, and witnessed Xander pinning Angel against the adjacent wall, holding a wicked-looking stake to his chest. Xander’s eyes burned like fire, his rage was so great. He leaned into Angel’s space, and whispered into his ear, “Next time? You won’t be so lucky. Back the fuck off.”

As Xander moved back, Angel shook off his ridges, glaring one last time at the two on the floor. He turned sharply and left the scene, blending into the shadows as usual. Just then, the door opened, revealing Wyn looking slightly troubled. His eyes flicked from a brassed-off Xander, to the slightly bewildered Freya, then to his injured padawan. He paled, and fell to his knees beside his friend. He gently turned Will over and examined the livid bruising over his throat. He looked across from himself as Xander bent down as well, kindly turning Will’s head over to inspect the damage.

Wyn gasped as a sudden flash of vision struck him, he blinked, eyes narrowing at the two before him in disbelief. At Freya’s questioning look, he shook his head. “He’s breathing, but very weak. Are you alright Freya?” Xander asked turning his attention to the young twi'lek, still keeping a hand lightly stroking Will’s neck. Wyn sat back and watched the display with a slight grin on his face. 

Freya smiled, “I will be fine; I think Will’s injuries are more important.”

Xander nodded, his brow furrowing as his hand stretched out over Will’s skin. Wyn-Udiin leaned closer, “What is it?”

“He’s burning up. I think he might be sick.”

The Jedi Master put his hand on Will’s forehead, “Force! You are right.” His eyes widened as he looked closer at his pupil’s face. He was very pale, his lips were papery and nearly chapped, and his eyes were ringed with dark circles and sunken. Wyn-Udiin was surprised he left his quarters that morning, not to mention how he was able to hide it from his master. A Jedi feeling sick was an alarming enough occurrence, but going so long without treatment is a very serious matter. The fact that Will was powerful enough to hide it disturbed the master, the master wondered how long Will had hid his sickness. 

“I’m going to bring him to our infirmary, see what is going on.” At Wyn’s nod, Xander put both of his Arms underneath the slighter man and lifted him gently. He glanced down at a worried Freya, “With your permission, Master, Freya could come with us and oversee treatment.” 

Freya turned excitedly to Wyn, who nodded, “When he awakens again, notify me immediately.” He watched as Xander adjusted his precious cargo, cradling Will closer to his chest and left the room with the Twi’lek in tow.

His lips thinned and he nodded, there was some investigating to do.  
* * *

_He awoke to a resounding crash from above, startling him nearly out of his skin and cursing the dust that rained over him. He brushed off as much as he could and looked through the basement window from the lounge chair that he was tied to, cursing yet again. It was too damn early for the Drunken Harris Show. Usually they waited until mid-afternoon or early-evening to start the trumpets, but then again, last he knew it was a weekend. Harris Senior didn’t work on the weekends, if he worked at all, which usually meant the whelp spent the day with the girls out of the house, and not coming home until he was positive that they were passed out or out of the house for the night. That usually meant that: one of them drank until they blacked out, one hit the other with enough force to knock the other out for the rest of night and then passing out, or the cops had to come in and settle things._

_Usually it was the second._

_By now everyone was used to the shenanigans going on at 502 E. Main St. to even care about which Harris that was going to the hospital that night, which was typically the boy. He glared at the basement’s ceiling, he was getting tired of the bloody racket though. It was too damn early for Passions, and way too late for any good movies on the telly. He slumped down and made himself as comfortable as he could in what he could only assume was a torture device from the early 50’s, the boys taste in furniture left something to be desired._

_He heard a crack from above, then a disquieting crash. His brow furrowed, that sound couldn’t have possibly been the female, and she was way too small. It couldn’t have been the other man, he was way too large. It must have been-_

_He heard someone picking themselves up from the floor, directly above him, then a shuffling step to the basement door. As soon as the door opened he smelled the alluring scent of fresh, hot blood. His eyelids fluttered as his fangs descended, the rest of his face staying the same. It hurt to keep the demon in check, but for some reason he didn’t want to frighten the boy. He opened his mouth to keep the burning smell out of his nose, the boy’s blood was heady, he knew if the boy came any closer he would break the bonds that kept him to the chair and…_

_For the unlife of him he was not going to finish that thought._

_He saw as the young man kept a white-knuckled hand on the banister as he limped down the stairs, a white bag and small, slightly dented, cardboard box cradled to his chest. His vision went red as the young man’s face came into view, now the real battle to tame the beast was on. The boys face was vividly bruised, his cheekbone purpling and cut. His bottom lip was cut, his nose was bleeding and one eye was nearly swelled shut. That was nothing however, to the gash on the boy’s forehead, blood ran swiftly and intoxicatingly down the front of his stark white shirt. The boy wordlessly gazed at him from across the room, no sound could be heard in that small basement except for the footsteps walking up the above stairs, a door shut, they were alone. He panted quietly in his chair, his hands were shaking, his arms nearly bulging from the force of keeping himself in that damned chair._

_He suddenly understood why the human tied him to the chair, at the time he didn’t because hello? Chip. He couldn’t hurt a living soul without getting a nice zap for his trouble. But now, now oh how he wanted, craved to-_

_No. Not going down that road. He got the gist of it, he wasn’t going to think or fantasize about anything he wanted to do to the Slayer’s Boy. He may have slipped every now and then, think of something fairly graphic he wanted to do to Slutty and the Gang, but hell, they deserved it from time to time._

_He slowly blinked, and went to his happy place…err, as happy a place he could go to now because of the Safety Chip. After a minute, he was calm…er. The boy took that time to go into the bathroom and change, bringing out the first aid kit. He set it on the table and sat down on the couch, his hands dangling between his knees, his shoulders slumped, his head down._

_What an image his boy made… if only he was on his knees like that._

_“What the-_  
* * *

Freya watched as Will’s hand twitched on the blanket that was covering him, she reached over and covered it with her own, she knew how much he hated hospitals. She could remember a time, just a few years after she was taken to the Jedi Temple, that she joined them on an ambassador mission to the planet Ryloth. It was her race’s homeland, although she had never stepped foot on the planet itself. They were suppose to just be observers at a ceremonial celebration, but later ended up having to defend the officials present against a revolutionary revolt. Wyn-Udiin and Freya left the scrap in relative health, apart from a few injuries, but Will defended a young twi’lek priestess with his body, taking most of the damage that was meant for the frail female. He stayed in the hospital for a week, his most grievous wound would have killed anyone else, but he swore it was just a scratch just to get out of the hospital. 

Her attention focused on the man that was currently trying to take care of their unconscious, yet unwilling, patient. Will’s temperature had spiked as they brought him to the infirmary, he was covered in sweat and mumbling uncontrollably. Nothing he said made any sense to Freya, but seemed to amuse Xander, who was currently setting Will’s hand into a splint.

“How is his hand?” She asked.

Xander shrugged, “It should be fine once Willow gets here. She’s good at this sort of thing. I don’t really know what’s wrong with Will, all we can do is make sure he’s comfortable.” What he didn’t tell her, was how concerned he was for Will. He had never seen someone suffering like this, his skin looked almost gray. The times when Buffy was sick, even when she literally had to fight death, she didn’t look so bad. He sat across from Freya, his eyes riveted on Will, in case he woke up or moved, he didn’t notice his hand wrapping around Will’s.

Freya sat back, letting go of Will’s hand as she watched Xander. She had never seen a bond like this form so quick, it was something she would have to tell Wyn-Udiin as soon as she was able to. She knew that he told her to stay with Will was a way for him to investigate this new development without having to worry about her, which was going to be yet another thing to discuss with him. She hoped their healer would get to the castle soon, she was afraid that Will may be getting worse. There were fine tremors wracking his body, lips slightly trembling, it seemed as if he was suffering from pneumonia. She looked back down at her friends’ face, and gasped in alarm. He gave a great shudder, then stiffened in pain. His face contorted into a rictus of pain, his skin grayed further and thick, dark veins stretched over his skin.

“Holy-“

“-Crap.” She finished for him. Xander’s chair clattered to the floor and he ran to the door to call for help. Freya wished with all her might that she had an apprentice bond with Master Wyn-Udiin, it looked as though things were getting much worse, very fast. All she could do was wipe the cold sweat on his brow and put another blanket over him. 

The door opened before Xander reached it, and a gentle breeze wafted through the room, carrying with it a scent of wildflowers and the scent of a crackling fire. A figure cloaked in dark green entered the room, a gloved hand pushed back the hood to reveal the face of his childhood friend. She smiled, “Called for a witch?” The smile soon faded as she saw the panic written across his face, “What’s wrong? Is it Buffy?” He shook his head and moved to the side, looking back to the figure on the bed with an expression of desperation.

Willow gasped, “Spike?”  
* * *

Wyn-Udiin walked up the plank to the ship, noting that the generators to the ship were turned on, and he could feel the oily feeling of the dark side as soon as he entered. As he followed that feeling, around the corner leading him to the ship’s main hold, and around that corner into the infirmary, he couldn’t help the feeling that he was being watched. As the door to the infirmary slid open, he stifled his gasp of alarm as he took in the scene before him. 

The soft blue lighting above the examination bed was flickering, the lighting wires snapped. The bed itself was slashed open, the stuffing littered the floor and mingling with the various medical paraphernalia that used to be housed in the cabinets lined against the wall. The doors were mangled open, some were swinging on one hinge, and some were ripped clean off. He noticed marks gouged into the metal the size and shape of claws, as the same marks were all over the walls. 

He had no idea what it was they were searching for, most of the materials could be found in any hospital or pharmacutical unit. He didn’t have the time to clean this room up, he had to find out what it was they were searching for. He moved on, following the malovent force to the security deck in the main hold. He had a horrible feeling, and he hoped that he was mistaken. He didn’t notice upon entering the ship that the all of the lights were flickering, so intent was he on finding their culprit. The breath left him as their main computer came into view. The outside shell was shattered, wires and all matter of electrical machinery spewed forth. 

There was no way to repair their computer without a droid, and the knowledge to fix this sort of thing. He doubted he could even find the materials needed on this planet to replace the ones that were destroyed. He looked down the hallway where their navigation computer was mounted, noting with dismay that it too was shattered. He supposed that he would find their communications deck was in the same condition as their security deck. 

They were stranded.  
* * *

Xander sat on one side of their patient, Freya on the other, each holding a trembling hand. Will was sliding in and out of consciousness, at one point he opened his eyes and smiled at Willow, calling her ‘Glinda’. She took it as a sign of clarity, as he recognized no one else since he has been back. Soon, however, he shuddered again in tremendous pain, seeming to wilt before their eyes.

Only a few steps brought her close to the bed, her luminous green eyes surveyed the damage that some unseen force was causing. She knew it to be a mix of astral, natural, and a magickal kind of malady, but she couldn’t pinpoint the source, or what it was doing to him exactly. She took the glove off and rested a cool hand against his flaming forehead, shifting slightly as a bolt of pain traveled up her arm. 

“What is it?” Xander gazed up at her in concern. 

Willow’s brow furrowed, “I need to figure out what’s going on.” She turned to both of them, her calm features instantly relaxing them. “I have to ask both of you to leave the room. Now don’t worry,” She lifted her hand as they both were about to voice their concern, “He’ll be perfectly safe, but I have to be alone with him. I need both of you to guard the door so that no one enters and ruins my concentration, I will let you both know when I’m finished.”

Freya, used to this sort of thing by the temple healers, stood up and bowed reverently to Willow, “I trust your judgement, Healer. We will be outside. Come Xander,” She motioned the dark-haired man to follow, “She must have privacy to work her craft. Let us give her that.”

Xander looked one last time at Will, and followed the twi’lek, not noticing the look his friend gave him. Willow’s eyes narrowed, seemed there was a lot of explaining to do.  
* * *

Wyn-Udiin walked towards the infirmary, finding Freya and Xander sitting against the wall. The young twi’lek bounced from her seat with a grace that could only be found in the females of her race. There was a reason why almost half of the twi’lek females were dancers, their beauty rivaling their natural poise. She trotted over to him and gave him a look that he could only describe as ‘I-have-much-to-tell-you’. He glanced over at Xander and his eyes narrowed. He looked like a family member waiting for news of their loved one, which concerned the Jedi Master. The bond that was developing between his padawan and the young man was a little disconcerting, given how suddenly it formed, they only just arrived on this planet. 

It would have to be discussed later, there were more important matters to attend to. “How is he?” 

Freya’s full lips thinned, “We do not know, the healer just arrived. Although,” She glanced at Xander, and whispered, “There is something very wrong. His skin grew gray, and thick veins appeared on his flesh. I suspect it is-“

“A force drain,” He finished, “Although I don’t understand why he’s being drained so slowly. A lesser man-“

“A lesser man would have died long ago, Master. Our Will is made of stronger stuff than this, for him to be floored like this is-“

“-Disconcerting.” He sighed, “Will heals very fast, I am sure that whoever is doing this must be very powerful indeed. I hope their healer is able to break the hold, otherwise-“

“Otherwise is not an option, Master. He will be healed, we must trust in that.” Freya said with utter conviction, he wished he had her faith. He had seen so much, in such a short period of time, that he feared his faith was dwindling with every fallen comrade. He honestly didn’t know what he would do if he lost Will, or even Freya for that matter. He shook himself, that was fear talking, and he would not let that consume him. He settled down against the wall with the two young people, closing his eyes and repeating their crede that seemed to be ingrained into his soul, feeling the words instilling peace.

_”There is no emotion, there is peace.  
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.  
There is no passion, there is serenity.  
There is no chaos, there is harmony.  
There is no death, there is the force._

_There is no death, there is the force.  
There is no death, there is the force…  
There is no death…  
There is no death…  
There is no death..”_


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You mean,” Buffy stepped closer, “You don’t remember anything?”  
>  * * *_
> 
> _“That was an order Angel. I don’t believe that was up for discussion.”  
>  * * *_
> 
> _“You are close to the learner, yes?”  
>  * * *_
> 
> _“Guess it doesn’ really matter what ye want, does it?”  
>  * * *_
> 
> _“How did you do it?!” Angel screamed, his face flushing with borrowed blood, “How can you walk outside?!”  
>  * * *_
> 
> _“A force drain,” He finished, “Although I don’t understand why he’s being drained so slowly. A lesser man-“  
>  * * *_
> 
> _There is no death, there is the force…_  
>  There is no death…  
> * * * 

Meditation.

Meditation had always worked for Jedi Master Wyn-Udiin Fiori in times of peace, in times of war, in times of the utmost despair, and in times of severe emotional pain. He had always found a way to calm himself through meditation; he could release his overload of emotions into the Force, letting the unwanted feelings dissipate in the soothing recesses, to later address them at a time when he was better able to analyze them.

It was a common, yet very important form of Jedi training, although at this point in time, it was very hard to concentrate. His padawan was sick, in pain; literally having his life force sucked out of him by an agent of the sith, and there was nothing he could do about it. It was enough to drive him mad; he could hear his padawan’s agonized thoughts, could almost hear him calling out for help, which was something that his padawan would never do. 

It was a torture two-fold for the Jedi pair, the master could not help his padawan in his time of need, could not heal him, could not even hold his hand through his anguish. Every chant of the Jedi Code brought him back to that darkened hallway again, to see his beloved padawan not only injured, but seemingly wasting away before his eyes. His anger and despair doubled, he felt that he should have known what had happened to his padawan, should have protected him better; he wasn’t used to feeling so helpless, yet there was nothing that he could do except wait and see what the healer would find out. It was only a matter of time, he knew, but it was time that he feared they did not have.  
* * *

What Wyn-Udiin was experiencing was nothing compared to what Xander was feeling at that moment. He hated feeling so utterly helpless, he hadn’t felt that way in a very long time; nor was he used to feeling so close, so drawn to someone before. Sure, he felt lust like any other man would, that was easy, but to feel so totally focused on another? That had never happened to him before, Anya couldn’t even invoke such sentiment within him. To his utter astonishment, he felt this way for someone to whom he would have gladly rammed a stake through a few years ago. He was equally surprised that he didn’t do just that last night.

However, when their eyes locked, it felt that small movement had changed his life forever. It was like a light switching on in a darkened room, and everything disappeared for that one instant, except for the two of them. He was frozen in place, yet his mind whirled all around him; he could feel something forming, growing and taking shape. Though every time he tried to think of what exactly was going on within him, it slipped away like water through his fingers. Strangely enough, it was the same feeling he got every time Spike and he looked at each other over the years, especially the time they first met in the high school. 

It must have been the eyes, they were the first thing that he focused on, besides the hair that is. They were the deepest cerulean blue, the color of the ocean, the only spot of color on him beside the blood-red shirt, everything else was either pale ivory or black. Those eyes were ancient, they stripped him bare, they had seen so much.

Too much, one would say.

No one was entirely sure that Will was the vampire that they all knew and tolerated, no one but Xander. The Jedi’s face may have been solemn, his manner serene and calm, so unlike their Spike. One look into those blues though, and Xander was convinced. To hear that the man had absolutely no memory of anyone made being around him slightly easier. He couldn’t help the feeling of protectiveness that washed over him as he saw Will’s crumpled form on the floor, nor the pure rage as he saw who caused it. He reacted without thinking, drawing the stake from his waistband, which became a habit of his to carry the deadly piece of wood with him wherever he went.

The fact that it was around the same time Angel showed up wasn’t purely coincidental.

He jumped as the first few chords of ‘Single Ladies’ started to play, effectively disturbing the tense silence of the hallway. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and noticed it was Buffy’s name on the screen; of course it would be her, he wouldn’t have that as his main ringtone…no way. He looked up to see both of the Jedi staring at him, he blushed as he stood, “I…better take this.” He walked a little further down the hallway and ducked into an empty room.

“Hello?” He listened for her voice, but only heard a muffled sound. His brow furrowed, “Buffy?”

He heard a shuddering breath, “They’re gone.”

“Who?” Xander started to have a bad feeling, a tremor in his gut.

“All of them. Everyone we deployed to Japan. Ain-Lee, Setsu, they’re all gone. No traces.”

Xander slumped down against the wall, resting his head against it with a thump.

“I think they’re dead, Xan.” She sobbed.  
* * *

Freya sat quietly beside Jedi Master Fiori, barely containing her nervous energy. Her lekku, the twin headtails that extended from the back of her head, quivered slightly in agitation. She desperately wanted to discuss the recent developments with Master Fiori, but she couldn’t bring herself to disturb the clearly distressed Jedi. This mission seemed to be going downhill at an alarming rate, she had never seen her friend Will so ill, he seemed so relentless, to be downed so easily worried her. Master Fiori, no matter how much he hid his emotions, couldn’t hide how panicked he was from her. It was eddying off of him in waves, clouding the hallway, affecting not only herself but the other man across from her.

Her head cocked to the side as she studied the human male, she could see how sensitive he was to the Force, could already see the thread connecting him to the Jedi in the other room. Whether or not either of them could feel it, she couldn’t say. Although, and she would never say it out loud, it may be the beginning of an altogether different bond than she was thinking of; more than just a mere training bond. If that was the case, she couldn’t be happier for her friend, if not a little jealous, he needed someone similar to himself to be with.

She knew how lonely it was, being different.

Even though they were Jedi, something that set them far apart from others, Will and Freya shared a common bond in which they weren’t entirely human. She wasn’t sure if Will knew what he truly was, and maybe that was all for the better.

She wouldn’t want to be a vampire.

When she had first met the duo, she had no idea what he truly was, and how brave Master Fiori was to undergo his training. Only through the grapevine of other padawans did she find out the truth about her friend. She took the liberty to research about her friend’s supposed homeland, the Gamorrean slavers weren’t that far from the Terra system when they were discovered by Master Fiori, and the seemingly young man was brought to the Jedi for training. To her surprise, she found a well of information about the planet Terra. The planet was discovered centuries ago, two light years away from the Outer Rim, by a crew escaping a rather nasty brawl; the information was relayed to a nearby planet who then contacted the Republic. The senate saw no reason to interfere with a new solar system light years away, but the Jedi saw potential. They foresaw a place of peace, a spot of light in an otherwise dark galaxy. A group of Jedi were sent, to colonize and to find Force Sensitives.

However, they were not exactly ready for what they found on the temperate planet. For what monstrous secrets the beautiful planet had hid, the Jedi had rarely seen before. It was the dark power they could sense seething under the beautiful veneer they found alarming, the demons that took pleasure in carnage and waste, and the people too helpless to fight. They decided to work undercover to rid these monsters from Terra, although it was bothersome, it was better than the alternative. People feared what they didn’t understand, and they knew by experience that many did not understand the Jedi.

They very seldom used their power, were very careful of initiating others, and very seldom wore their Jedi robes and lightsabers in public. They came upon a fairly large village surrounded by a lush forest, the place seemed so peaceful that the Jedi felt as though this would be the perfect place to start looking for Force Sensitives. They visited the village every day, helping out where they could, and the villagers started to trust them more and more each day. They told them stories of a few of their people disappearing each night, only to return the next morning on the outskirts of town, their dead bodies drained of blood. They had sent their best warriors to find and kill these foul creatures before they struck again, only to receive the same results. The Jedi promised to help them, it was only the right thing to do, so they split up into separate teams and left the village.

They found nothing.

There was no trace, no inkling in the Force that lead them to their target. Every time they got a few steps closer, they ended up just feeling the same malevolent evil that greeted them when they first landed, every living thing was saturated with it. The day grew long, and soon it became night, still no clues. They decided to camp that night in the woods just outside of the village, and try again in the morning.

The morning dawned, and all was quiet. The Jedi awoke with a feeling of dread they had not experienced since settling on Terra. The day was cold and the sky was dark, if there were any animals around, they made no sound. They immediately thought of the beings under their care, and raced back to the village.

What they found had shocked and horrified them.

They came upon a carnage the likes of which only a few of the Jedi had seen, those who had been in wars, yet still the sight had haunted them. Bodies littered the ground, cold and lifeless, the ground ran with blood. Men, women, and children, all young and old, were slaughtered without reason. Only blackened skeletons remained of their homes, smoldering in the cold and cloudy air. Anything of value was taken, including livestock to be later butchered when there wasn’t fresh blood available. 

The villagers brave or desperate enough to fight back were dismembered, their parts hung on crude pikes as a warning to the Jedi, to those that would oppose them; the smell was abominable, like a film coating the inside of their nostrils and mouths.

Through their grief they burned what they could, their hands soon stained with fetid blood. They worked until sundown, until they couldn’t bear to see the massacre any longer. When the sun dipped just under the horizon, they were finished with their funereal customs. They vowed to hunt down the criminals responsible.

They were attacked that very night.

From out of the ground, the creatures burst, contorted ghastly forms with beastly intent. The Jedi sensed their arrival an instant before they came, drawing forth their lightsabers and calling upon the force for assistance. The creatures came in droves, too many to count, and difficult to destroy. When one would fall, another would come to take its place. They attacked without any mercy; some without any thought at all, so great was their hunger.

Only a few survived, and they never returned to Terra.

_“Until now,”_ Freya thought. If Xander truly knew her friend, he must have known exactly what he was, and yet he didn’t seem to fear either Will or…the other one. She was presently surprised how the young human male stood up to the other vampire, without any concern for himself if he were to be attacked. Her cheek still stung from when he hit her, even after she Force-healed herself. She brought her knee up and rested her elbow on it as she absently rubbed her cheek, observing the strange ritual Xander was doing. He’d look off into space, bounce his knee, look at the door of the infirmary, check his timepiece, and then would do it all over again.

Stare.

Bounce. 

Check door.

Check the time.

Repeat.

Freya wondered how he would act when the two of them actually bonded fully. It was like he couldn’t stand to be this far away from Will, only a few minutes had gone by, although she could understand his urgency. She felt the same way, Will had always seemed to incite such feelings in others, even perfect strangers. Although Xander seemed to know him a little more than he let on, but she could easily see the familiarity. Whether that was a good thing or not, Freya couldn’t say. It wasn’t the right time to mention the bond, she knew, for she didn’t know how long it had been there; it felt like it was already formed when they landed. It would explain Will’s behavior over the years, her friend seemed…less than himself, even more so without his memories. She could easily see that only after ten years that he was going to become a knight, it had taken many more Jedi longer than that, studying and training had become his life, there was nothing in his life to focus on other than that.

Some part of her questioned why the Council decided to help him cure himself of his…allergies, and train him, but not restore his lost memories. It would have made things a lot easier for Will in the long run. Though, on second thought, it could have made him remember what he had lost, who he had lost. Ever since she knew him, he was so quiet, and aura of sadness clouding around him. No matter how much he smiled, or laughed, it never reached his eyes; he was haunted, she wanted to find the person or thing that hurt him that badly and-

No, she wasn’t going to go down that road yet again. She guessed that when it came to Will, and his master, she became so protective of them both that she would easily kill to spare them any pain; that kind of thinking could lead to the dark side if she let it, even though it would have been fraught with the best of intentions. She shrugged, the Council had their reasons for what they did, they wouldn’t be the leaders of the Jedi otherwise, however she just couldn’t agree with their reasoning to leave Will in the state that they did. He was a good man, kind and compassionate, with a dry and sarcastic wit. He could sit and listen for hours, and would give her honest and helpful advice. Even though he was brutally honest at times, she couldn’t stay angry with him, he made it so easy for her to forgive and talk to him.

He made it so easy to fall in love with him.

She colored slightly, looking over at Wyn-Udiin, and turned away quickly. Everyone knew of her feelings for Will, she suspected that Will did as well and as such couldn’t fault him for not saying anything, though no one knew of her feelings for his master. What she felt for Will was like a young girl’s fleeting crush compared to how she felt about Wyn-Udiin. She supposed that it would not be a good decision to accept him as her new master, it would only lead to heartache for them both, though something kept her from straying, it was like the Force was pushing them together in some fashion.

Only time would give her answers.  
* * *

The sky darkened and a cool, gentle breeze wafted through the moors, rain beginning to patter against the pane glass windows. The fresh sent revitalized the young witch, she would need the energy for what she was about to undertake. Willow lit candles in the room instead of flipping on the lights, it would be gentler on Will’s eyes, illuminating the room with a golden glow. She burned a bundle of sage around the room, lending a calming sent for relaxation and purification, she decided against using any kind of drug as she didn’t know what his system could handle. She sighed as she brushed back a golden curl from his sweaty forehead, stroking a cool cloth over his fevered skin. In the time it took her to get everything ready, the grey veins had appeared and disappeared more times than she was comfortable with. He was weaker than a kitten, staring blindly at the ceiling through hooded eyes. His breath, in an attempt to ease the pain he was in, wheezed through dry and cracked lips. Her white cloth soon became stained a dull, rust color from wiping the blood that welled.

She put the cloth into the bowl that rested beside her, only a small flicker of movement from his eyes let her know that he was still aware. She picked up a vial of amber oil, rubbing it slowly between her palms to warm it, “This oil is called Persephone’s Tear, it will put you in a state of limbo while enabling me to enter your mind. It’ll act as a pretty strong shield, letting only me in and pushing out anyone that’s in there that shouldn’t be in there. It’ll also numb the hell outta ya, so you’ll probably feel a bit groggy once it wears off.” At his blink, which she took as understanding, she uncorked the bottle; a pleasant aroma of sandalwood, cloves, and other herbs permeated the room. She could instantly tell a difference in Will, he stopped breathing entirely, his muscles relaxing. She dabbed the oil on each of his temples, doing the same to herself, smiling faintly as it glowed and spread over the skin.

“So far, so good,” She thought. She took a breath, sending a prayer to the Goddess, and put both hands on each side of his head. She could feel herself sinking, as if she were swimming, everything else around them faded away. Her eyes slipped shut.

The room warmed, and she opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of a lush garden. The sun was bright, warm as it filtered through the leaves. Birds of all kinds and colors, some she had never seen before, flitted from branch to branch, filling the air with cheerful song. Small, furry animals scampered from shady areas to bask in the sunlight, climbing trees. The air was fresh and sweet smelling, and as she looked up, she could see a large, golden and shimmering dome above them.

She stared for a minute, her mind boggling from the sight, then turned and caught sight of a figure kneeling in the middle of the clearing, and immediately recognizing the scar over his eyebrow. “Spike? Is that you?” She asked out loud, startling some birds gathered in a nearby branch, and the figure sighed. He opened his eyes and looked over at her, his serene expression and liquid blue eyes stunning her to silence. 

He half-smiled, “What is it that I can do for you, Lady?” 

Her eyes widened, if he sounded like Spike, and looked like Spike, he must be- “Spike? Is that really you?”

His grin widened, “Why ask questions to which you already know the answers to?”

She sighed in frustration, “I’m trying to help you, ya know. The least you could do is answer my question.”

His lips thinned, “Yes and no. Yes I am the Spike you used to know, and no, I’m not the Spike you used to know. Ten years have gone by, you think that hasn’t changed me at least somewhat? The years have certainly changed you, dove. Course, we are just in my head, I could be communing with a rabbit as far as I know.”

She boggled, “Ten years? Did you hit your head earlier? It’s been six years since I have seen you, and five years since Angel last saw you.”

He grinned again, and this time she could see the little points of his incisors, “We are separated by at least two light years. In your galaxy, it has been five years since I have been in contact with anyone I once knew. From where I have been, ten years have passed. That’s the simplified answer, I could go into astrophysics and time measurements in regards to light years, but we will be here for much longer than you already have.”

She kneeled across from him and digested that information, “Do you foresee me dying?”

He stared at her for a moment, and then snorted. It was the first Spike-ism that she had seen apart from the smirk, “No you ninny. Of course you will die before me, that goes without saying. I was just remarking that it would take a while to explain fully why it has been so long. Time is rapidly falling away from us, darkness is approaching…” He trailed off with a faraway look in his eyes.

She spoke softly to not alarm him, if it was the only way she could get her answers, she’d take it, “What do you see, Spike?”

His eyelids fluttered closed and took a deep breath through his nose, finally opening his eyes, “Darkness is always approaching, little tree. Without light, there is no darkness, and without darkness, there is no light. We skate through the in-between, always searching, seldom finding. Half the time we don’t even know what we are looking for.” He stared at her for a moment, then cocked his head to the side, “You are searching for something, aren’t you?”

She shrugged, slightly unnerved by his focused attention on her, “We’re all searching for something, but this time, it’s something in which I am going to need your help to find. I entered your mind to figure out what was making you so ill. It looked like someone was-“

“It’s a type of force-drain. The person doing so is inflicted with a rare type of a force-affliction, which happens from time to time. In the lives that the Jedi lead, they make enemies which will find horrible ways in which to exact their revenge, striking when one is at their weakest.” He shrugged, “It is my guess that at the time I was not properly shielded, and whoever it was that was following us, took that moment to strike. He attempted a force-drain, tried to steal my energy to sustain his life, and in so doing affected me with his ailment.” 

Willow’s brow furrowed, “How do we stop it?”

He stood and said quietly, “Break the connection.”

She scrambled to stand as well, “How though? For one thing, I have no idea-“ She was stopped as he gave a shudder, bringing his hands to his temples. She put a hand on his arm, “Are you going to be alright?”

He took a deep breath, shaking himself a little to get himself back into control, then he turned to face her, looking very weary, “If you don’t break the connection, I will die.” At her questioning look, he motioned her to follow him, leading her through a small copse of carefully tended trees. Before them was a shimmering, transparent golden wall, small ripples as they approached distorted the image kept behind the curtain. She stepped closer, her hands outstretched to feel it, and felt warm tingles extending up her arms, “What is this?” She said with wonder.

She looked over at him as he stepped up to the curtain beside her, “It is a shield, my lady, blocking my mind from what is happening to my body.”

“So the Jedi teach you this sort of thing?”

He nodded, “Yes they do. It helps with any situation, equally as handy of one or the other gets caught and is tortured.” He held up his hand, gently stroking the curtain, making slight ripples, “I however, am not powering this shield.”

She turned to face him in surprise, “Then who is?”

He smiled softly, the curtain glowing suddenly, illuminating his face, “You call him Xander.”  
* * *

He wished that he could help her, comfort her in her time of grief, but nothing he could say or do would help her. He sighed, shoulders slumping as he stared at the floor, “I’m sorry Buffy.”

He could her sniff, pulling herself together, “I am too. It was just my panic talking, I’m sure they vacated the place because they were being watched or something. Like I taught them to do.”

“You trained them very well, Buffy, I’m sure they are just in hiding or trying to get back over here.” He said tonelessly. He knew what it meant, whatever it was that was coming, was already here. Everything happened so fast; the prophecy, the arrival of the Jedi, Will getting sick, mention of a Sith, now this…it was all too much of a coincidence for Xander. He looked out the window, at the rain pattering softly on the glass, wishing he was anywhere but in a dusty room talking to Buffy, he wished he was with Will… 

He was slightly disappointed in himself for feeling like that; but his mind, and if he was honest with himself, his heart was down the hallway. The last thing he wanted to do was calm Buffy down yet again, these things happened all the time, girls disappeared all the time, and Buffy falling to pieces every time it happened without figuring out the reason why was starting to grate on him. They never chose to be called; it was Willow’s magic that did it, something else that wasn’t discussed fully beforehand. He understood that it was the only way to beat the First, but they never realized the ramifications of their actions, Willow never used to bother. If the girls wanted back with their families instead of dying for what seemed now as a vain cause, then so be it. 

After what seemed as a long stretch of silence he sighed again, “Buffy I really need to go, some things have come up. They are fine, just look for some clues, they will probably lead you to where they are, ok?”

“O-Ok. Is everything ok over there?”

“Minor hiccup. Nothing that can’t be fixed, but fix it I must. So I will hear from you later?”

“Yeah, I’ll call back later.” She was quiet, but he could hear rustling over the phone, she must be on the prowl already for clues. He smirked, “Bye Buff.”

A slight click and silence signaled the end of the call, and he flipped his phone closed. He rested his head on the wall and swallowed past the lump in his throat, feeling a slight buzz in the back of his head. It wasn’t anything malignant, but a feeling he had woke up with and was dealing with the entire day. It seemed to be getting a little stronger, his scalp slightly tingling.

_“…Xander.”_

He jumped a little, looking around him at the empty room, his eyebrows jumping to his hairline, “H-Hello?”  
* * *

“But how is Xander doing this? Don’t you two hate each other?”

He shook his head, “I can’t really explain it. It was there when I woke up in the Jedi Temple, and has been there for years.”

“It?”

“The bond.” He said quietly, still stroking the curtain, “It’s like a slight buzz in the back of my head, sometimes its strong, making my scalp itch, and at others, the bond feels like a…soothing balm. I guess it depends on his and my moods.”

She shook her head, “How are you so sure that its Xander? It could be any one, it could be your master.”

He snorted, “My master feels very different compared to this… I knew it was him when we met last night, he felt… We spoke on this for some time; it is definitely someone else, an unfinished bond that has been there for some time. My master has advised me not to pursue it until my memories are restored. Believe you me, it has caused me a fair amount of frustration.” The cultured voice trembled slightly, and she could see how this conversation was affecting him. He didn’t like talking about the bond with what seemed a complete stranger, this she understood and resolved to talk about this with his master the next chance he got. She didn’t like things being kept from Xander, even if it was for both of their well-being. Her best friend had been very different since Sunnydale, losing so many close people would do that to a person, but she knew it was more than that. Now that she had some clue, she wasn’t going to just let it lie.

“So…the Jedi just trained you, you being memory-less?”

He shrugged, “I was strong in the force, my master wanted to restore my memories, but he could have inadvertently erased something important, or put something in there that shouldn’t be. Also, he could have broken the bond, and there was no telling what that would have done to me. You can’t just reprogram someone. I’m not a machine.”

“So they just have to come back naturally?”

He nodded, “My master brought us here for that reason. It is part of my Jedi Trials, for my knighthood. If I am surrounded with familiar things, people, places, it may restore what was lost to me.”

She put her hand on his outstretched arm, he turned to face her, “I’ll try my best to help you.”

He grinned, “Do or do not, there is no try.”

She felt a pull behind her belly, signifying that her time there was drawing to a close. Her brow furrowed, “Will your master know how to break the connection? Now that we know what is going on? Will it hurt you more?”

“My master will know, he wouldn’t be a master otherwise, especially now that we know what is going on and what is happening. Yes, it will hurt, a lot; but nothing that I haven’t already been through. May the force be with you, healer.”

She smiled, “May the force be with you too, Spike.”  
* * *

She could feel herself pulling back gently, the connection fading away as she opened her eyes and pulled back. She felt tired, a little achy from being hunched over Spike’s body for what seemed like hours, just disoriented enough to see trails left behind as she moved her eyes. All in all, she supposed it was a success, she learned a lot of information. She sighed, closing her eyes to let the dizziness fade, then walked to the door, opening it she said, “Master Fiori? I believe we found the problem.”

The master looked up in relief as he followed her into the room, motioning for Freya to follow. The young twi’lek women looked down the hallway in concern, but followed him into the room. They sat at each side of Will’s bed, each taking a slightly clammy hand. Freya brushed back Will’s hair gently, Wyn-Udiin looked on in concern for his padawan before turning to Willow, speaking softly, “What did you find out? What happened to my padawan?”

Willow folded her hands in front of her, “It’s what I believe is a force-drain, coupled with a force-affliction. At least that was what I was told.”

His dark brows drew together, “You were told? By whom, may I ask?”

She smiled, and gestured to Will, “He told me. Somehow he has been shielded, so that whatever or whomever is attacking him will not reach his mind. He was able to diagnose what happened, at least a little before I had to leave his mind. He said that we had to break the connection to his attacker, then we will be able to heal the force-affliction he is under. I believe that you,” She indicated the Jedi master, “Will be able to break the connection. If you would be able to help me try and come up with something that could break down the force-affliction, I think he’ll be ok.”

He blinked, “Ok.” He looked back at his padawan, frowning again, “You said he had been shielded from the affliction, the shielding wasn’t his own?”

She shook her head, “No, and that’s all I will say on that matter for now, and it’s nothing that can harm him. However, you are going to need to work with whoever else is in there protecting him for this to be able to work.”

He nodded, “Of course. I have an idea of what is going on, I will do anything to ensure my padawan’s welfare.”

She nodded, “I have a couple of things I need to get, to come up with a cure, I’ll leave you to prepare for what you need to do.” With that, she turned and left the room. 

Wyn-Udiin stared at Will for minute, concern and a slight trace of fear marring his pale features. His eyes flicked to Freya and back to Will, “Freya, I need you to stay with Xander. This is something that will require his assistance.”

She frowned, but stayed silent as she let go of Will’s hand, and quickly left the room to search for the dark-haired man. She stopped outside the room, closing her eyes as she searched the force for his life force, opening them as she sensed him just down the hallway alone in an empty room. It was quiet in the hallway, her footsteps making no sound as she slowly stepped to the room. She leaned slowly into the doorway, her head and left side entering the room. She spotted him sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, his eyes closed. He looked…at peace. She smiled slightly and joined him on the floor, her hands folded neatly in her lap. After a few moments of companionable silence, they opened their eyes and faced each other, she smiled kindly at him, “We need you in the infirmary. We are going to attempt to heal Will.”

He frowned slightly, “And you need me? What am I going to do?”

She studied him for a long moment, long enough to make Xander want to squirm, “I was sent to retrieve you, not question Master Fiori’s reasons in doing so. Join us or no, it is your choice. I leave you to your decision.” With that, she stood and bowed respectfully, leaving the room soon after. 

Feeling distinctly as if he failed some test, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. The buzzing was back, stronger now, and he was starting to feel restless. He stood, looking one last time at the dark room and then followed the Jedi padawan into the infirmary. 

He joined the Jedi at Will’s beside, sitting there quietly for a moment until he couldn’t take the tension in the room, taking Will’s other hand into his own. “What do you need me to do?”

He started as he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up into the Jedi Master’s kind eyes, the man smiled slightly and said, “Just concentrate on Will, and focus on the… buzzing inside your mind. Let the force guide your actions, you will know what to do when the time comes.”

Xander’s eyes widened, looking back in panic at Will’s shivering form, “But what if-“

“Don’t let doubt cloud your mind. You have done very well so far,” Xander looked up again as he felt a gentle squeeze, “I owe you so much, he would have died without your help.” 

“But what-“

“You have been shielding him this entire time, Xander,” Willow said. She held up a hand as he opened his mouth to speak, “I don’t know how or when it happened. We gathered that the…bond has been there for a very long time, before Sunnydale imploded.” 

Xander’s eyes widened, and he turned back to Will, “Let’s get on with this then. The sooner he’s healed, the sooner we can concentrate on who it is that did this.”

Freya stood and walked across the room to assist Willow in formulating a cure for the affliction. Master Fiori took his place on the other side of Will, moving his right hand above his padawan’s forehead, closing his eyes. He breathed deeply, the energy around the bed crackling infinitesimally. Xander shuddered in response, the buzzing in the back of his head growing more with every exhalation. Sweat beaded on his brow, his hands clenching in almost pain. 

When he felt as if he couldn’t take it anymore, he felt an answering brush in his mind. A soothing balm flooded his link to Will, and he sighed. He wasn’t sure if this was the bond they were talking about, or if he was going crazy, but this was the first time he felt completely at ease with himself for a very long time. It was a relief, felt like the cool breezes rolling off the shore when he actually got a chance to go to the beach outside Sunnydale. He didn’t feel as his eyes slipped closed, or wrapping his hand around Will’s limp one, all he knew was the feeling across their bond. 

_”Xander…”_  
* * *

Wyn-Udiin could feel himself sinking into his padawan’s mind, it was a feeling unlike any he had ever experienced before. When once it was comforting, now it felt as though he was walking through broken glass barefoot. All he could see was fire surrounding his astral form, all he could feel was a bone-deep cold, and he knew he was embroiled in the affliction burning through his padawan’s body, deep in the connection formed by his charge’s attacker. 

Through the fire, he could see silvery threads criss-crossing each other like a spider’s web; he knew them to be the connections formed between his padawan and the multitude of people he had met throughout his life. Many were fractured, representing the lost memories of those people. If he had entered his padawan’s mind when he was fully whole, there would have been fleeting images of those people, now only shadows remained. He caught something glimmering out of the corner of his vision, and turning he saw the bond with Xander, glowing strong and healthy, though not fully formed.

He wondered what it would look like once it was, then pushed that thought away for another time when he wasn’t battling for his padawan’s life. It was time to figure out who was doing this and why, the only way was to travel this path to the attacker, then sever it completely. It took nearly no time at all before he found the window to the other's mind.

He drew back a little, and grabbed the thread; it struggled as if a living thing, an oily snake reaching out with negative energy as it felt itself in the Light’s grasp. It pulsated to the beat of Wyn-Udiin’s heart, already trying to infect him as well, it was sloppy of the attacker to try to attempt a second connection to him, he must be desperate by now; Wyn-Udiin called upon the force to strengthen his shields as he pulled the thread taught. Vaguely, he could hear heavy breathing, and Will thrashing on the bed, he hoped that his padawan would not have to go through this much longer.  
* * *

Freya turned as she heard a small sound behind her, a bitten off groan of pain, only stopping as she felt a gentle hand on her arm. “They will be fine, Freya. Whoever is doing this is just trying to wring what little energy that Will has left; they can feel them trying to break the connection. I need you to help me with this.”

She turned back to the table, seeing a bunch of powders, herbs and beakers over open flame, “What is it that you need me to do? What is all this?”

“It’s a potion to cure Will’s illness. What I gathered from what was described to me by Will’s master of the force-affliction; it’s like an infection, specifically targeting the midichlorians in his body, the cells that enable you to call upon the force…what makes you force sensitive. The force-affliction latches on to the midichlorians and cells in the body, effectively poisoning the cells. The attacker is not only inflicting him with this disease, he’s also draining Will, taking what little energy he has. Now since the attacker is infected as well, the connection between the two is making Will feel the same thing as the attacker; i.e. hot and cold flashes, heart palpitations, weakness, body aches, where Will would not normally feel those things. Since Will has an accelerated healing factor, the force-affliction is given a boost; he’s basically a rechargeable battery. This potion will cleanse Will’s body of the disease, while his master cleanses his mind.” Willow turned back to Freya to see the other woman blinking a little, in a daze. The young witch smiled, “Sorry, Willow-babble takes some time to get used to.”

Freya smiled, “You should see me explaining hyper-space propulsions.”  
* * *

What was once an itch in the back of his mind soon turned into a warm, throbbing ache. He could hear whispering, too low for him to hear clearly, and every time he tried to concentrate on what was being said, the whispering faded away. Every now and then, Xander experienced a short flash of pain, quickly stifled. He couldn’t open his eyes, couldn’t speak, he could barely hear anything except what was happening in the bed he was currently sitting beside. 

It suddenly felt like too much was happening at once, pressure started to build steadily in his mind. He wanted to shake it loose, dissipate it in some way, it was starting to get painful. His heart speeded; sweat broke out on his forehead, and he started to feel hot and cold flashes. Whatever, or whomever, was doing this, was starting to lash out at him as well. He realized just what a prime target he was, suddenly wanted this little excursion into the weird to be done and over with. He grabbed Will’s hand tighter, the fine-boned hand became an outlet for the pain he was feeling, an anchor in reality when he was starting to feel everything spin out of control.

He heard a high-pitched whine, saw a blinding light behind his lids, which started to grow in volume and brilliance. He suddenly felt as if he couldn’t breathe, warmth suffused his being; he was slowly slipping away…

_“Xander.”_ The softly accented whisper in his mind brought back his focus, his shields slammed back into place; he was suffused with a bolt of energy, and focused all his might against the negative force attacking Will. He felt that connection snap apart with another burst of energy, and his eyes flew open to witness Wyn-Udiin’s chair flying back against the wall, his head cracking sharply against it. He shook his head, looking a little pale, waving Freya away with a hand, “I’m fine, padawan. Just a little too much power than I was ready for.” His gaze warily flicked to Xander then back to Freya. She looked over at Xander as well, both of them knowing full well it wasn’t the Jedi master who destroyed the connection. If she wasn’t a Jedi, she would be very afraid right now.  
* * *

“There. Done.” Willow said with a brilliant smile, holding it up to the light, the sun glinted through the amber liquid.

“How is it administered?” 

Willow handed the vial over to Wyn-Udiin, “The whole vial in warm water, I don’t want to take any chances; with Will’s...DNA, it’s going to take a lot to burn the disease out of his system, and like Persephone’s Tear, he’s going to be very groggy when he wakes. Also, someone is going to have to stay with him, it’s hallucinogenic.” 

“I’ll stay with him,” Xander said quietly, gazing at Will with a hint of surprise and wonder, “I’ll let you know when he wakes up.”

Freya stifled the Jedi master’s protestation with a hand on his shoulder, casting a significant glance at the other two. Wyn-Udiin watched the two, how Will’s head had turned toward Xander, how absorbed the young man was in his padawan’s well-being. He sighed, the road ahead for them will be long, arduous, and full of conflict; however, as he looked upon the fidelity apparent in the young man’s eyes, it would only be a matter of time before the two became a Bonded Pair, and no amount of his interfering until the time was right for them will stop their course of action. 

He closed his eyes, he will have to start the distancing process with his padawan, there was no time like the start, “Freya and I will go to the ship, it has been a while since we checked on it, and I fear the worst now. No one should have known that we were coming here, except for the Jedi Council. No one should have known where we are on the planet in any case; I believe my padawan was right; we were sabotaged from the middle of the beginning. We must find out why.”  
* * *

The two Jedi were quiet as they walked back to their ship, their rhythmic footsteps the only sounds after the quiet rainfall, the daylight faded into a soft twilight. The young twi’lek adjusted the brown hood of her cloak, the chill from this part of the planet slightly irritated the skin of her head-tails, “This is an interesting planet, master.” She knew it was a horrible attempt at conversation after what just had taken place, but she felt she needed to fill the tense silence in some way.

Nevertheless, it got him to smile a little, she refused to call it a smirk, “It would seem so, Freya. You will find that soon this planet will seem less interesting in comparison to others.”

“You and Will have traveled far, I take it?”

The Jedi master nodded, “We have. Ten years, and near constant missions. This, I would consider a vacation if not for the Sith and the attack.” He cocked his head, considering, “For example, there was a planet devoid of shrimp.”

“Shrimp, sir?”

“Shrimp. Swimming, decapod crustaceans, and they are found in both salt and fresh water. They live in schools, a prime target and major food source of larger animals. They are resistant against pollutants and are farmed for humanoid consumption.” 

She stopped and stared after him, he walked a couple spaces before realizing he went ahead without her. He turned and shot her a questioning look. She drew close, inspecting the Jedi Master carefully, “Just making sure you are…you.”

He blinked, and then shook his head, “I think…I think that energy surge knocked something…loose. Doesn’t matter anyway, we need to get to the ship.”

_”Right back to business…”_ She thought as she watched him walk up the ramp. She followed him to find him standing stiffly still in the main hold, the only clear sign of any emotion was the slight thinning of his lips. She looked past him to the carnage displayed before them. Wires were strewn about, lights flickered brokenly, sparks shot from every electrical system. Their main navigation-security computer was completely destroyed. Her shoulders slumped, if there were any reason they had to leave the planet, it would not be for a long time, if at all on this ship.

“What more could they have done?” She asked in a breath. She couldn’t fathom the purpose behind this action, this thoughtless vandalism. They proceeded to start clearing up the damage, using the force to protect themselves from the destructive sparks. 

“Anything.” He answered, “They have us at a disadvantage now. We are now forced to trust the people we met here last night, we do not know anyone on this planet, and we do not know the customs. They think they have successfully cut us off, forcing us to go to ground, to stay with the first people we met. They know where we are, and if we happen to leave, they’ll know how to find us.” They worked in silence for a long stretch of time, working their way to the infirmary, where the most concentrated damage could be seen.

She frowned, “But how?”

He looked at her over his shoulder, anger icing his blue eyes, “The Sith are not acting alone.”

She paled and nodded, looking away as she scanned the room, “One of the humans we met is working for the Sith.” The cabinets were open, some of the doors hanging on one hinge, various bottles and vials strewn about over every surface. Five long, crisscrossing gashes ripped almost every surface, the examination table could barely be distinguished from the rest of the wreckage save for the light that used to be bolted above, now dangling, the light shattered.

He shook his head and started to clear the small counter space, careful to not touch the mingled chemicals. He nodded, “All we need to figure out is who. Who would gain from this, or who would have a motive?”

Freya moved some debris from a nearby bolted chair, “They all know our Will… that much is true. That Andrew-fellow… he seemed happy to see him.”

“Mmm…but it could have been an act. His exuberance could have been a carefully rehearsed performance to blind us to his secret agenda.” He tried to shut a hanging door, only to have it creak dangerously then clattering to the floor. He studied it, and then shrugged, kicking it to one side where all the rubble seemed to be ending up.

She made a face, gathering the padding from the slashed mattress and stuffing it back into its casing, “I highly doubt he’s that good of an actor. In addition, Will is more intuitive than I; he would have known it was an act long before he got near us. The fact that he didn’t immediately defend himself should tell us that Andrew is not our target.” She shook her head as she turned the pad over until she could repair it later, “No. There is someone else, someone that could easily worm his way into our trust, someone who knows Will, someone who could easily destroy him in his weakened state.”

They both stopped their cleanup, facing each other as a horrible thought bloomed between them.

“No,” Freya breathed shaking her head slowly, “No it cannot be, not him.”

Wyn-Udiin looked away and said quietly, “We cannot trust anyone…I cannot trust anyone.”  
* * *

Night had fallen since the Jedi left to their ship; Willow had left to see to the slayers, leaving Xander to take care of the slumbering Will, much to Xander’s relief. He had enough of fielding her questions away from the subject she most wanted to discuss with him, namely that of the new developments between the ailed Jedi and her childhood friend. It seemed to him that everyone wanted to discuss such things with him, even before he had a chance to speak with the other man himself. Now, since Willow had rushed off, soon everyone in their little group will know of what is transpiring between him, meaning more questions and explanations on his part.

He sighed; he wished that for once, no one knew of his business except himself, without the interference from his friends. A small sound from the bed caught his attention, Will’s eyes fluttered before issuing forth a soft groan. Xander snuffed out the candle beside the bed as Will opened his dilated eyes, looking upon Xander and smiled, “You’re here.” He whispered, coughing slightly with the effort.

The other man poured him a glass of water, holding it for him as he swallowed carefully, “Of course I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

Will moved his head away, shaking it slowly and murmured; “Now you weren’t…The Council…”

That gave him a feeling of foreboding, “The Council can say whatever they want, it won’t change anything.”

“You don’t know that…” Will whispered, his eyes slipping shut. His body trembled slightly, sweat beading on his brow, and Xander knew that his fever was spiking, as Willow said that it might. Will shook his head and opened his eyes again, boring in Xander. He grabbed his arm tightly, levering himself with effort, saying fiercely, “I lost you once, I won’t lose you again.”

“Hey,” he soothed, settling the trembling form back onto the bed, “You haven’t lost me, you aren’t going to lose me. You need to rest now, everything will look better in the morning.” He leaned over Will, tucking him in securely. He started when he felt the brush of cool fingers on his cheek. Looking down, he saw Will gazing at him lovingly.

“I could easily fall for you.” He whispered.  
* * *

“I could easily fall for you.” He heard his padawan whisper. He ran as fast as he could, real fear freezing the blood in his veins at the thought of the young man they entrusted to care for their dear friend to be in league with the Sith. He barreled his way through the doors, flew up the stairwells, and hurried through the hallways to reach the infirmary just in time for him to hear the six words he never wanted to hear utter from his padawan’s lips.

His back thumped against the stone wall, and he closed his eyes as his being clenched with indescribable pain. He slowly slid down the wall, drawing his knees up, his arms enfolding himself.

He failed again.

**Author's Note:**

> Feed back feeds the beast, also I will be writing more. Grr. Arrgh.


End file.
